Bonded-Dawn of the Duel
by DarkQueenofDuels
Summary: Sabrina and Yugi are finally ready to help Ari and Yami unlock their past. But when new and old enemies combine, will they prevail? Yami x OC (8th Millennium Item). Final installment in the Bonded series.
1. Kaiba's Bribe

_NOTE: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, I just own my characters Sabrina and Zaria._

~Sabrina~

"Get up you slackers!" Rebecca shouts banging on a pan.

I watch as the rest of the gang wakes up, which involving literally falling out of bed. It's been a few days since Dartz' defeat and we're still staying in America in Professor Halkins camper. We haven't seen Lucas or any of the Doma ex-employers since he was defeated and they stated that by now they needed to sort out their lives and travel alone. "Just wake me up when its chow time." Joey says yawning.

"Joey, get up now. You guys are so lazy!" Tea complains.

"Hey, where's Yugi?" Rebecca says.

We look around to the couch Yugi _was _sleeping on to find it empty. "Did he take off again?" Tristan asks.

"I'll go look for him." I say heading for the door.

I walk out of the camper to meet my eyes with the blinding bright sun. I squint and then walk over to the lake where I can see Yugi standing by the shore. He seems to be talking to someone, no doubt Yami. I walk up behind him, "What are you talking about this time?" I ask.

Yugi turns around, "Oh, morning Sabrina. I was just talking to Yami about what we're going to do now." He says.

"Which is?"

"Well, as soon as we get home, we're going back to that museum!"

"Yep, now come on, we're starting to cook breakfast."

Yugi and I walk back to the camper to see that the gang is already placing food down at the table. The first thing Rebecca does when she sees Yugi though, is hug him so tight that he claims he can't breathe. All of us then sit down at the table and start chowing down. "Man, this is good stuff! I'm stayin here forever if ya keep cooking like this!" Joey says.

"Yeah, but we should head back home soon." Yugi says.

The phone rings from inside the camper, so Professor Halkins leaves to grab it. "By the way, what's the plan once you guys book a flight back to Japan?" Duke says.

I immediately spit out all the rice in my mouth down on the table, which almost lands in Joey's food, "Hey! Watch it! I'm eatin' here!" he yells.

"What'd you do that for, Sabrina?" Tea says.

"Something just occurred to me now." I say, "Where are we going to get the money to go back home?"

Everyone else then almost spits out whatever they were eating. "Oh yeah, Pegasus flew us here…" Joey says.

"You mean we haven't thought of this until now?!" Tristan says.

"Oh no…" Tea says.

Well, all of us are broke and the Halkins don't have enough money on their tab at the moment to help us out, and besides they've done too much for us already. The only one who's actually happy about this is Rebecca, stating 'she'll get more quality time with Yugi'. Seriously, that kid needs to get her head out of the clouds.

We all start thinking of ways to get fast cash, when we hear a sound overhead. "Hey… Is-is that Kaiba's helicopter?" Tea says.

"Yep." I say looking at the 'KC' logo on it.

The helicopter lands nearby, so all of us stand up from the table and head over there. Mokuba and Roland shortly emerge from the helicopter, "So I hear you guys are broke." Mokuba says.

"How'd ya know that?" Joey says.

"Never mind that. You guys want a lift back to Japan?"

"Really? You mean it?" Yugi says.

"Of course," Mokuba says looking rather smug, "But there's one catch. In exchange for the ride, you'll have to compete in my brother's new Duel Monsters tournament."

"New tournament?" Yugi says.

"Yep, let's sit down. I'll fill you in."

All of us walk back to the camper and clear the food from the table and sit down. "Okay," Mokuba says, "You guys heard of Kaiba Corps new theme park?"

"Of course! Kaiba Land has been in every newspaper!" Rebecca says.

Honestly, no one else here has heard about it, but we just nod in response anyway. "Yeah, and it's about to open too." Mokuba continues, "So my brother wants to kick things off with a bang! The event with Dartz and everything really put our company in trouble, so we're opening up Kaiba Land early with a special event. In this case, it would be a Duel Monsters tournament; the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix! So Seto told me to round up you guys for the event. Now let's go!"

"But wouldn't Kaiba have the decency to ask us himself?" Tristan says.

"My brother has been really busy lately!" Mokuba says, "In fact, he's so wrapped up with running the company that he's not even competing!"

_Kaiba's not competing? _ That doesn't sound a lot like him, "Oh I get it." Joey says, "He's just too scared to lose to Yugi again! Ha! What a wimp!" Okay, that sort of maybe sounds like Kaiba.

"That's not true! You try running a multi-million dollar company and opening up dozens of theme parks around the world! Believe me, it wasn't an easy decision for him."

"Right, so what are the specifics to the tournament?" I ask.

"Okay, listen up." Mokuba says, "We're inviting the top ranked duelists from around the globe, but it's not just everybody, there's only a select few. And they're all competing for the chance at becoming the World Champion Duelist. But for that, we need the World Champ himself."

All of us glance toward Yugi, seeing joy on his face, "Wow, of course I'll come!" he says.

"I'll come too. This sounds exciting." I say.

"And if Yugi and Sabrina are playin then so am I!" Joey says.

"Great. My brother approved of you two coming anyway." Mokuba says.

"Hey! What about me! I'm the youngest regional champion!" Rebecca whines, "I deserve to be in it too!"

"Alright, my brother approved of you anyway. Here are your tickets guys." Mokuba says handing each of us an envelope. "So get packed; the next flight to Kaiba Land United States via Kaiba Corp leaves now!"

All of us immediately go back into the camper and get our suitcases ready. I decide it would be best to change my clothes; I put on a white shirt with red sleeves that go down to my elbow, a pair of jeans, my red deck holder belt, my usual sneakers, and fix my hair into a ponytail. I grab my bag and walk outside again.

All of us, including Professor Halkins, then board the helicopter. Within a matter of hours, we're finally able to reach Kaiba Land. I stare out the window and look down at the park. It seems to have some of the grandest and most extreme, yet kid friendly, rides I've ever seen.

Mokuba gives us the grand tour around the park, where there are Duel Monster themed items all around the park (mascots, rides, statues, etc), with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon making up about half of them. "Didn't you say the park didn't open yet? Why are there so many people?" Tea asks,

"Oh, everyone here now are just special guests. And did I forget to mention every ride is free today?" Mokuba says. "But before we get to that, let me show you this one place in the park."

Mokuba leads us around the middle of the park, where an arena sits. The whole thing is white-silver and is shaped like a Blue-Eyes head, "We call this the Blue-Eyes Dome!" Mokuba adds. We enter the arena to see that the place is huge, "It's the world's largest indoor stadium! And it's all for dueling purposes only!"

In the middle of the stadium is a dueling arena, which looks far more advanced than the ones we used back in Duelist Kingdom. There's a kid dueling on it, but no one on the other side, "Wait, what is he dueling?" I ask.

"There's a built-in computer to the arena."

We watch as the computer plays DNA Surgery to transform every monster on the field into a dragon. It then activates Polymerization to fuse together its four Scapegoats and Battle Ox to summon Five-Headed Dragon. Something seems awfully familiar about this deck. Five-Headed Dragon then attacks the boy's Gagagigo and wins the duel. "You see, we programmed the computer to mimic the skills of all the greatest duelists in the world, mostly Seto and Yugi though." Mokuba says.

"But if its deck is that great, then how is anyone supposed to win?" I ask.

"Easy. We programmed it with levels one through five."

It seems like a pretty interesting way for duelists to grow stronger. The boy steps down from the dueling arena to meet with some other kids, who still encourage him even though he lost. Most of the kids then stare over to us, "Hey, is that Yugi Muto over there?"

"No, it's gotta be a mascot!"

"But he's with Sabrina Cafford!"

"Let's go get their autographs!"

The group of kids run over to us and mostly crowd around Yugi, but some of them crowd around me as well. I sign a few autographs, along with Yugi doing the same. One kid then steps forward to us, "Oh wow, I'm a big fan of yours Yugi. I have been since Duelist Kingdom! My name's Leon." He says holding out his hand. He has purple hair and brown eyes and dresses kind of like the rich and nerdy type.

Yugi shakes his hand, "Nice to meet you, Leon." He says.

The boy named Leon then holds his hand out to me, "Oh yeah, and your Sabrina. Nice to meet you." He says.

I shake his hand, "Same here, Leon."

I glance over to see Joey leaning in toward the kids, "Hey guys, ever heard of me? Want an autograph?" he says.

The kids look around at each other confused, "Who are you?" one asks.

"Come on, Joey Wheeler, third in Duelist Kingdom, Battle City finalist."

"Never heard of you."

Joey frowns and begins to pout. Yugi and I begin to sign a few more autographs, "Um excuse me, Mister King of Games." One boy says.

"Uh, yes?" Yugi says

The boy pushes through the small crowd and stands before Yugi, "My name's Rick. Can you look over my deck, please? No matter what I do, I can't seem to win."

Yugi takes Rick's deck and starts looking through it. I lean over Yugi and peer at some of his cards. The deck is completely filled with dragon-type monsters with no magic or traps whatsoever. "But all you have are dragon cards." I say.

"Yeah, dragons are my favorite! I traded all of my magic and trap cards to get these!" Rick says.

"Well, it's obvious that you respect your cards and that's a great thing." Yugi says, "But you also need to balance out your deck with magic and traps. Here, take this."

Yugi holds out a card to the boy, which he takes, "Huh? Heart of the Underdog? And I get to keep this?" Rick questions.

"Yep, it reminds me of one of my closest friends. I think it would be best in your deck though."

Joey gives a questionable look toward Yugi, and I can't help but laugh to myself. Rick then turns toward his group of friends, "Awesome! I'm going to try it out now!" he says running to the dueling arena.

Rick sets the level to 'two' and begins the duel. The duel is about to commence when all of the sudden, the whole stadium goes dark. "I guess there are a few flaws in your system." Rebecca says.

"That's impossible! We worked out every possible flaw!" Mokuba says running to the controls to try and fix it.

The electricity for the dueling arena then comes back on, but not the lights. I look over and notice that all the exits have closed, and have the security gates around them. _What's happening? _"That's impossible!" Mokuba says, "I've lost control of the system!"

Rebecca glances over Mokuba's shoulder, "My suspicion is that a hacker broke into your system." She says, "But they seem pretty top class to pull something like this off."

"But why? Why would someone hack into an amusement park attraction?"

It does seem pretty suspicious, but then again, there's always a motive for everything. "Obviously someone is trying to get your attention, by the looks of it." Rebecca says, "And I guess the only way to get out of here is to beat the computer in a duel."

"It's time to duel." The computer says, "Now summoning Berserk Gorilla to the field. Add one face down card and concluding turn."

"Wait, guys, look up at the screen." I say pointing, "The computer reset itself to level five."

"Oh no, what now!" Rick says.

"He'll get crushed by the computer! He's only a beginner!" Mokuba says.

Way to encourage, Mokuba. But I suppose he's right; Rick won't stand up to level five. _"Yugi, you know what has to be done." I hear Yami say._

Yugi nods as the Puzzle starts to glow.

~Ari~

I look up and watch Yami jump up onto the dueling arena next to Rick, "Don't worry, I'll take it from here." He says.

"T-that's cool." Rick says.

"Right, I'll bring your deck to victory. But you must have faith."

"Right!"

I know Yami will have to win this; he's better than any computer. But we have no idea what the hacked computer will do, so we just got to have faith.

**Okay, I would've updated this sooner, but here's a story about what held me up. Everyone remembers that rewrite I was doing, correct? Okay so about a day after I finished Season 4, I had everything ready for Season 5 and only had like 4 chapters left to do in that rewrite. So that night, all of the sudden, I realized I missed a HUGE plot-point in the rewrite relating to Season 5. So here I go, rewriting like 20 chapters all over again. And so, I had to upload some extra chapters on it, which caused the fanfic to get moved to the top of my fanfic list. So that ruined my order, so I deleted the last chapters of each of the Bonded stories and re-uploaded them in the correct order (which is why most of you guys got that alert). But now I think I'm finally ready to start writing this!**


	2. Plans in Motion

~Ari~

I watch as Yami draws his cards, "I'll begin with Petit Dragon in defense mode! That ends my turn." He says.

"Commence turn. Draw card." The computer says, "Activate Cost Down. Summon Airknight Parshath. Activating trap card; Robbin' Goblin. Now every time damage is inflicted to you, you must discard one card. Commece attack on Petit Dragon, and then on Life Points."

Yami is down to only 800 Life Points now. If he was using his real deck, then that computer would've lost by now, but he's stuck with using Rick's amateur deck. Yami still looks confident, but Rick looks worried. Yami draws his next card, "My move! I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode and then equip him with Dragon Treasure, raising its attack points!" I guess Rick does have a magic card, "Luster Dragon, attack his Airknight!"

The computer is now down to 3700 Life Points. "Summoning Slate Warrior. Commence attack." Luster Dragon has enough attack points to destroy it and the computer is down to 3400 Life Points, "Activate special effect; when Slate Warrior is destroyed, it will decrease Luster Dragon's attack by 500. Commence attack."

Berserk Gorilla attacks and destroys Luster Dragon, bringing Yami to 500 Life Points. Yami draws, "I summon Cave-Dwelling Dragon in defense mode! That ends my turn."

"Sacrificing Berserk Gorilla. Summoning Jinzo." Due to its effect, Robbin' Goblin is destroyed, "Now attack. Ending turn."

Yami draws and his eyes light up, "Alright, first, I'll play Baby Dragon in defense mode! Now I'll activate this; Heart of the Underdog! That will end my turn."

Joey looks at the card weirdly, causing me to smirk. My attention goes back toward the computer, "Drawing card. Summoning Sinister Serpent in attack mode. Jinzo will now attack. Sinister Serpent will now strike opponent directly. Turn complete."

Yami is down to 200 Life Points. "Now I activate the effect of Heart of the Underdog!" Yami says, "If I've drawn a monster from my deck, then I'm allowed to draw another card. And I've drawn Curse of Dragon! So now I draw Koumori Dragon! And then Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress! Then Crawling Dragon! And Blackland Fire Dragon! I now play Spirit Ryu in attack mode! Spirit Ryu, attack Jinzo now! And by using its special ability, I can discard six dragon-type monsters from my hand to raise its attack to 7000! Now obliterate the rest of his Life Points!"

The computer shuts down as the lights turn back on and all the exits open up. Yami and Rick step down from the dueling arena, as the crowd of kids goes around Rick asking him to trade his cards with them. The gang and I walk up to Yami to congratulate him, as he puts his arm around me. "How'd you know he would need that card?" I ask.

Yami smirks, "Just a feeling." He says.

All of us begin to walk outside the dome and watch the group of kids run toward their parents. Joey then turns toward Yami, "Hey, about dat Underdog card, didn't you say it reminds ya of someone?" he says.

Yami now looks nervous, "I-I did?"

I can't help but laugh to myself at how this will turn out. Joey begins to tap his foot and Yami continues to look nervous, "Oh, yes… um… uh… A little help here Yugi?"

Yami then immediately changes back to a red-faced Yugi. "Oh, thanks a lot Pharaoh! You're real mature!" he says.

Joey then grabs Yugi into a headlock, "Well, I'm waiting for an answer. And everyone seems ta think I remind ya of this Underdog."

"Um, well, maybe…"

~Sabrina~

I watch as Joey keeps trying to get an answer out of Yugi, but he's too afraid to admit anything. I glance overhead to see a white KC helicopter land in front of us. Out of the helicopter comes Kaiba wearing a very business-like white suit. "Mokuba!" he says.

"Hey Seto!" Mokuba says excitedly running toward him.

"Is everything alright here?"

"You tell us!" Joey yells, "How about ya fix that whacko computer of your Rich-Boy, before I decide to make you incapable of using ya hands!"

"Settle down you underdog." The rest of us can't help but laugh slightly, much to Joey's displease, "There's nothing wrong with my computer. It was the hacker that's the problem."

"Who was it?" Yugi asks.

"I'm not sure. The Kaiba Corporation has lists of enemies. But mark my words, this person will be found and severely punished for ruining my new tournament! In the mean time, Roland, I want security tripled for tournament registration tonight."

"Yes sir!" Roland says rushing off.

"And if you dweebs don't register in time, than you'll be disqualified. Mokuba, I'm putting you in charge of making sure Wheeler's late."

"HEY! Come back here, Rich-Boy!" Joey yells as Kaiba gets back into his helicopter and flies off.

That night, we make it to where a party's being held for the tournament. All of us register, but luckily, Joey isn't late. I stand by Yugi as we watch Joey, Tristan, and Duke hog the TV cameras. I glance over to see Rebecca by the food table and yelling at one woman who looks a little over twenty.

The woman looks up toward Yugi and I and rushes toward us, "Oh my, you're Yugi Muto right?" she says.

"Uh, yes." Yugi says.

"Oh wow, I'd recognize that cute spiky hair anywhere! I'm Vivian Wong, but call me Viv!"

"Oh, um, hi… Viv?"

"Yeah, and once the tournament starts, we'll be rivals, but that doesn't mean we can't be best buddies now!" she says hugging Yugi against her chest. Which is a place she _really _shouldn't be hugging him against. I notice that Yugi's face is turning bright red at this though.

It's rather funny to watch, but I can't help but have an uncomfortable feeling over it. Plus this Vivian really seems to bother me. Rebecca seems angry at the way 'Viv' is hugging Yugi, "Hey lady!" she shouts.

Vivian looks up, "Oh my gosh! Is that Seto Kaiba over there?! Kaiba, over here!" she says running in some other direction. Yugi's face is now turning back to its normal color as he catches his breath.

"Oh, hi Yugi."

We look over to see Leon standing behind us, "Leon, what are you doing here?" Yugi asks.

"Actually, I'm competing in the KC Grand Prix also." He says.

"Oh wow, that's awesome!"

"If I may have your attention please!" Roland says from the stage, "This day will go down in history, for this is when the most grandest Duel Monsters tournament will begin; the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix!"

"I guess that's our cue." Joey says.

~Ari~

"Right." I say.

All of us walk up onto the stage and face the cameras and crowd. "Yes and first of our contenders is the undefeated child prodigy; Leon Wilson!" Roland says as the spotlight goes on Leon.

"No way, that kid's undefeated?" Joey says.

"I wonder what his dueling strategy is." Yami says.

"Whatever it is, he won't be easy to beat." I say.

Roland announces some other duelists that I've never heard of, including Shane Jordan, Sergei Ivanoff, Paul McGregor, Abe the Monkey Man (who has a real monkey next to him at all times), Richard Goat, Balfrey Ginger, Totani Ialos, Ethan Shark, Jafar Shin, and "The kung-fu master Vivian Wong!" Roland says as Vivian shows off her 'skills'

Ugh, I want that woman to go down in the first round. "Next is the cute, but powerful, Rebecca Halkins! Also, we have our underdog, Joey Wheeler!" at those words, Joey starts yelling and ranting about how he's not an underdog, "And our mysterious duelist Adpnarg Otum!"

The guy has a black mask over his face, but he looks rather old and chubby and is waving peace signs to the crowd. "Adpnarg? The guy seems a bit weird." I say.

"Yes, but he somehow looks familiar." Yami says.

"And we also have the stylish Zigfriend Lloyd!" the guy has long pink hair with a magenta suit and holds a rose, "And we have our inspiring queen; Sabrina Cafford!"

The spotlight shines in my face, but it's not too blinding. _"Inspiring?" Sabrina says._

_"I don't know. Maybe it's just for effect." I say back._

"Finally, our defending champion and King of Games; Yugi Muto! Whoever wins the division will get to square off with him for the World Champion crown!" Roland continues, "And to keep things fair, we'll be randomly selecting each of your opponents. On behalf of the Kaiba Corporation, I wish you the best of luck! But only one will be crowned World Champion!"

**Battle City was still WAY better than this tournament (fyi Kaiba). They just glorify this one too much like it's the best thing since Duel Monsters came out. And Ha! I love the running gag in this. Oh, and by the way, I'm not planning to do Capsule Monsters or any of that crap (it seemed rather bland and I just want to stick with the original storyline), plus I don't think I'll do the movies either. **


	3. Starting Off

~Sabrina~

The next day has come, signaling the start of the Grand Prix. I stand next to Joey and then other duelists on the stage in the Blue-Eyes Dome. Yugi sits in the crowd since they're saving him for the final match. The sun shines down at us as the crowd cheers loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you the top chosen duelists and contestants in the one and only KC Grand Prix!" Roland says, "And only one will become World Champion!"

Joey's making smug faces toward the other contestants and making motions to them that speak 'come at me'. I just shake my head and stare back at the crowd. "And now, make some noise for our master of ceremonies; Mokuba Kaiba himself!" Roland says.

Mokuba then walks up on the stage and steps onto a risen platform and holds a microphone "Is everyone ready to see some dueling!" Mokuba says. The crowd cheers even louder now, "Awesome, because it's time to kick off the best Duel Monsters tournament in history! And by the end of the week, we may have a new World Champion! But for now, let's get some words from our current champ; Yugi Muto!"

The cameras zoom in on Yugi's face as it turns pink. He shyly sits there and gives a small wave to the camera, "Okay, maybe later…" Mokuba says, "Now guide your attention to the big screen, because it's time to decide who will duel who! The system has been organized into blocks 'A' and 'B', the winner of each division will get to face each other in hopes of advancing to face the World Champion!"

The giant screen behind Mokuba lights up and shows a tournament bracket on it. "And our first duelist in Block A is Joey Wheeler!" Mokuba says, "Who'll be facing… Apnarg Otum!"

"Yeah, imma kick some old man butt! And then I'm gonna make him reveal who's under dat mask!" Joey says.

I end up face-palming; isn't it obvious enough by now Joey? "You can trash talk later, just start thinking about a strategy to beat him." I say.

"And our next match will be Leon Wilson versus Richard Goat!" Mokuba announces. So Leon's dueling also. "But before we get the duels under way, I think we all want to hear from someone special. Yugi! Get on up here!"

Yugi blushes and slowly walks up to the stage in an extremely awkward fashion. He gives a slight wave to the crowd, as their cheers increase. He's about to walk up to where Mokuba is, but then all of us hear a sound overhead.

I look up to see Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Jet stop in midair over the arena. Kaiba then jumps out of it wearing his white suit and a jetpack. That guy really needs to control his ego. He lands next to Mokuba and removes the jetpack as Mokuba gives him the microphone, "Alright, I'm going to make this brief." Kaiba says, "This tournament isn't a festival, or a show for entertainment! It's an ultimate survival game in which duelists will test their pride and limits! You'll be the witness; of their cries of death agony and their voice of victory! Duelists! Kaiba Land will be your coliseum, and only one of you will survive! Now show me who that will be!"

Roland then takes the microphone, "Yes, so Kaiba Land will be the setting for your duels! Only the two people in the final match will face each other here in the Blue-Eyes Dome! Match one will take place on our Amazon Adventure Trail, while match two will take place under the track of our Blue-Eyes Coaster! Duelists will now take their places!"

I look up at the screen, which shows a shot of where Leon's dueling and he and Richard Goat are already there. _Is there a passage or something? _The screen then flashes to where Joey and 'Apdnarg' are supposed to duel, where Apdnarg is already there, but Joey isn't. I step down from the stage and look around and then notice Joey walking around. "Joey! What are you doing here?!" I say.

"Hey, I went to get a hot dog. I don't duel on an empty stomach!" he says.

"You mean you missed the entire announcement?!"

"What announcement?"

The rest of the gang and Mokuba also notice Joey and rush up to us, "Hey! You're supposed to be on the Amazon Adventure Trail, you idiot!" Mokuba says.

"I needed a hot dog." Joey says taking another bite of it.

"You idiot! Your first match is already starting! And if you're not there in ten minutes, you'll be disqualified!"

"What?! Wait, ten minutes? I'll be there in no time flat!"

"You're so dense! The Amazon Adventure is part of a huge jungle! You'll never find it in time! But I guess I have no choice but to…"

Joey drops his hot dog and then starts running off toward the jungle. The gang and I end up running after him. Tristan found a map along the way once we make it to the jungle. But whatever he says, Joey will do the opposite and run into the purposely-made traps set in it. Once we only have twenty seconds left, Joey starts spazz-running until we reach a clearing, where Apdnarg is waiting. "Alright… I'm here!" Joey says panting, leaning against Mokuba. "Wait… how'd ya get here faster than me?"

"I tried to tell you! There's a secret passage for special guests!" Mokuba says.

"Unfair!"

"Well, it looks like you have more discipline than I remember, Joey Wheeler." Apdnarg says. Yep, that voice is just _way _too familiar. "I mean… You've got a lesson to learn kid!"

"Gramps really needs a better disguise." Yugi says.

"Yeah, but apparently, Joey isn't smart enough to figure it out yet." I say.

"But why would he even need the disguise?"

"I believe I can clear that up."

We turn around to see Professor Halkins walking toward us. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"Your grandfather entered the tournament, but didn't want people to go easy on him, well, because… you know. So he told me that he was going to use a disguise."

"But how will this duel turn out?" Duke says.

"Gramps is really strong, so this may be a difficult duel for Joey." Yugi says.

"Really?" Mokuba says.

"Hey, you invited him here. You should know." Tristan says.

"Nope. Mister Muto actually begged to be in the tournament. But since he taught Yugi and Sabrina how to duel, I figured that I would let him in."

I look over to Joey and Grandpa to see the duel is about to start. Surprisingly, Grandpa got his hands on a Duel Disk. "Alright, old man, I'm goin' no mercy! Got that?" Joey says, "First, I'll start with summoning Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode! Then I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Okay, I'll also play two cards face-down." Grandpa says, "And then I'll play my Wandering Mummy in attack mode. Your move."

"About time! I'll summon my Little-Winguard in attack mode! Swordsman of Landstar, destroy his Mummy while I activate Graceful Dice-!"

"Aha! I knew you would play a card like that! So I activate Legendary Gambler! With this card, I can roll a dice like you did, and if my number is higher, than I can negate the effect of Graceful Dice." Joey rolls a four, while Grandpa rolls a six, "Too bad!"

"Well, I've gotta back-up plan! Go, Skull Dice!"

"But my Legendary Gambler is a continuous trap card, so I get to roll as well!" Joey rolls a five, but Grandpa ends up rolling a six again, so Swordsman of Landstar is destroyed from the attack and Joey is down to 3000 Life Points.

"Lucky shot ya geezer! But I'll switch my Little-Winguard into defense mode and end my turn."

"My move and I reveal Non Aggression Area! Now I can discard one card from my hand to prevent you from summoning a monster next turn. And it only gets worse, because I activate Mirage of Nightmare! This card lets me draw until I have four cards in my hand during your turn, but I must discard the number of cards I've drawn on my next turn after that. And both of these are continuous, so I can repeat the cycle. So I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My move-!"

"Yes, but first my magic card activates."

"But you also have to discard some cards!"

"Nope. Because I reveal Emergency Previsions, meaning I can destroy Mirage of Nightmare and I'll gain 1000 extra Life Points."

Grandpa is up to 5000 Life Points now. Its Joey's turn still, but due to Non Aggression Area, he can't summon any monsters, so he ends his turn from there. "Alright, now I play Ancient City!" Grandpa says, "Next, I'll summon my Wandering Mummy to summon Ancient Giant! And as long as this card is on the field, I'm forced to attack with it, and if I don't, then I take 300 points of damage. Next, I'll play Ancient Key, which allows me to summon two Stone Giants! And I must attack with these, or else I'll take 500 points of damage for each one that doesn't attack. Ancient Giant, attack his Little-Winguard! Now my Stone Giants, attack him directly! Then I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Joey is now down to 2200 Life Points. "Alright, I summon Goblin Attack Force! Now destroy his Ancient Giant!" Joey says.

"Activate Ordeal of a Traveler! This card allows me to pick one random card from my hand and you have to decide if it's a magic, monster, or trap card. This will happen every time you declare an attack. If you guess right, then your attack goes through, but if you guess wrong, then your monsters will return to your hand. So, make your decision; monsters, magic, or trap?"

"Um… trap card! No wait, magic! Um… give me more time! Okay, okay, um… magic!"

"Wrong! It was my Sinister Serpent card." Goblin Attack Force goes back to Joey's hand while he sets a card and ends his turn. "Alright, Ancient Giant, attack him directly!"

"Wrong! Go, Scapegoat! And next turn, I can attack with Goblin Attack Force!"

"But you still need to get by Ordeal of a Traveler to attack. So now I activate Ancient Tome! This card lets me swap the one card in my hand with the one on my deck. I'll switch my Stone Giants into defense mode and end my turn."

Grandpa's Life Points drop to 4000 because he didn't attack with his Giants. Joey summons his Goblin Attack Force in attack mode again and then ends his turn. "Ah, but to keep my Ancient Tome in play, I must send my Sinister Serpent to the Graveyard, but due to its effect, it comes right back into my hand. First, I'll switch my two Stone Giants back into attack mode! And now I can finally summon the creature I've been setting up since my first move! By using the second effect of Ancient Key, to sacrifice my Ancient Giant, Ancient Gate, and Ancient Tome to summon this; Ancient Dragon!"

"He never had that card before, did he?" I ask Yugi.

"Nope. But it's awesome!" Yugi says.

"You know, your grandfather isn't the only one who has that card." Professor Halkins says. He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out his deck, which has Ancient Dragon on the top of it.

"You have it too?"

"Yes, but I've never been able to summon it because I lack the correct cards. In fact, your grandfather is the only duelist I know that posses all of them. So you're witnessing a rare event here. We've had a competition of sorts to see who could acquire the cards first, but it looks like I lose. This is the happiest I've seen him in a long time."

I look back over at the duel, "Ancient Dragon, destroy his Goblin Attack Force! And since Ancient Dragon attacked, I'm allowed to destroy all of your other monsters."

Joey's now down to 1700 Life Points and completely defenseless. "Alright, look out!" Joey says, "I'll activate Roll of Fate! Now I can draw up to six cards, depending on the number I roll, but I have to remove the same number of cards from the game."

"Legendary Gambler, cancel out his roll!"

Both of the dies are rolled and Joey gets a four while Grandpa gets a… three! "Yeah! Four new cards for me! So I play Landstar forces! Now I can summon Brigadier of Landstar, Knight of Landstar, and Grappler of Landstar from my hand! So now I'll sacrifice the three of them to summon Gilford the Lightning! And using its special effect, I can destroy every one of your monstas' on the field! Now attack him directly!"

"But you forget about my Ordeal of a Traveler card. So tell me, which card is this?"

"Don't be so smug, I've been payin' attention! So your card is a monster; Sinister Serpent!"

Grandpa nods and reveals Sinister Serpent, so the attack goes through. Now he's down to 1200 Life Points. Joey ends his turn from there. "Yes, but you forgot to take one thing into account. The effect of Ancient City allows me to summon back my Ancient Dragon to the field! Ancient Dragon, attack!" Both monsters are destroyed, but neither of them pay Life Points, "And now, Ancient Dragon will come right back to the field! But I'll have to end my turn from here."

"Yeah, it's my turn, and I'll activate Pot of Greed! So first, I activate Premature Burial so I can reduce my Life Points to 900 in order to summon back my Goblin Attack Force! Next, I'll activate Giant Trunade, which takes all magic and traps on the field and returns them to their owner's hands!"

"No! Now my Dragon will be defenseless!"

"And now I can activate Premature Burial once again to summon back Gilford! Gilford, destroy his Ancient Dragon and Goblin Attack Force, finish off his Life Points!"

Grandpa's Life Points go to 0, so Joey wins. Joey and the rest of us then walk up to Apdnarg, "Nice duel stranga'. But now you have to take off that mask so I can see who you really are." Joey says.

Grandpa then removes the mask to show his face, "Actually, you already know me." He says.

"NO WAY! That was a cheap trick!"

"Yeah, but you weren't smart enough to figure it out sooner like we all did." I say.

"Shut up. Well, Mister Muto, why did you even enter this tournament anyway?"

"Well, I was hoping to duel you so I could see how far you've come as a duelist. And you've aced the test."

"Yeah! Now I'm one step closer to the top!"

**Just for the notice, I'm not putting Rex and Weevil into their Season 5 cameo (at least in the tournament) because I hate them so much that I want to tear their faces off and then beat up the rest of their bodies. Mhm, yeah, my hate is really strong for a lot of things. And I got asked this a few times that people were wondering what I was going to write after I finish the Bonded series. So here's my answer; you'll have to find out and read it for yourself (spoiler, I'm not doing any of the spin-offs)**


	4. Fierce Rivalry

~Sabrina~

All of us finally make it out of the jungle area and are now wandering the street. I look up at one of the small TV screens on a post to see it featuring the Blue-Eyes Dome. "Our first duel of Block B will now be announced!" Roland says on the screen, "Our first contestant is… Sabrina Cafford!"

"Wow Sabrina, you're dueling next!" Yugi says.

"Yeah, I wonder who I'll face." I say.

"And her opponent will be… Vivian Wong!"

My eyes widen and a smirk spreads across my lips. I can't wait to beat that woman. "The next duel will take place at our Blue-Eyes Train Station! Contestants will have ten minutes to show up, or they'll be disqualified." Roland says.

The TV then cuts to commercial. I look over at Grandpa to see him almost jumping up and down, "Oh wow! All of this dueling just makes me so excited!" he says.

"Careful, you may hurt yourself, old man." Joey says.

"Hey! I'm not that old! And besides, I'll be fine!" He says still hyped up. He goes to jump up, but then falls over.

"Gramps! Are you alright?" Yugi says.

"It appears that he's thrown out his back." Professor Halkins says.

"I'll call a medic." Mokuba says dialing the number on his phone.

"Ow…" Grandpa says, "You guys just go ahead. Enjoy… the rest of the tournament."

"But we can't leave you here!" I say.

"Don't worry, I'll look after him." Professor Halkins says, "You have a duel to fight."

"Alright, thank you."

We all run off toward the train station so I'm not late for my duel. We reach the bridge above the train track, where Vivian is waiting; black hair, yellow kimono and all. "Hmph, it's about time you showed up." She says.

~Ari~

"I had something important to do." I say shuffling my deck.

She looks over my shoulder and notices Yami and the others, "Oh, hi Yugi! Here to cheer me on? I thought so! You're probably captivated by my charm and good-looks. Too bad I'm in the middle of facing this low-life."

Yeah, that's it, she's going down. I notice that Yami is glaring at her, which I'm glad he shares the same hatred I do toward Vivian. "Alright 'Viv', shut up and let's duel." I say.

She glares over at me, "Fine. I'll enjoy beating you."

The two of us walk down off if the bridge and step onto the platforms on each side of the train track. "I'll take the first move." Vivian says, "And I'll start by summoning my Kung-fu Nyan Nyan in attack mode! Your move."

"Fine" my hand contains; Meteor of Destruction, Luster Dragon, Magic Cylinder, Magician's Valkria, Jack's Knight, and Dark Elf, "Alright, I'll start by activating Meteor of Destruction! I'll also one card face-down and summon Luster Dragon in attack mode! Luster Dragon, destroy Kung-fu Nyan Nyan!"

Vivian's now down to 2800 Life Points. "Ugh, that was a cheap shot! I'll play Master Kyonshee in defense mode and end my turn."

I draw Hinotama, "Okay, I activate Hinotama, and then I'll summon Magician's Valkria in attack mode! Luster Dragon, destroy Master Kyonshee, and Magician's Valkria, attack her directly!"

Vivian's Life Points now drop to 700. "You brat! You won't win this duel! Activate Mystical Space Typhoon! Time to say goodbye to your face-down!" She destroyed my Magic Cylinder, "Alright, now I summon my Gyaku-Gire Panda in attack mode and activate Monster Reborn to bring back Kung-fu Nyan Nyan! Now, I'll activate Luminous Clouds so I can sacrifice my two monsters to summon this; Dragon Lady! Now destroy Magician's Valkria!"

I'm down to 3100 Life Points. I draw Mirror Force, "Alright, I'll set one card face-down and then switch Luster Dragon into defense mode! That will end my turn."

"Ha! You forget about Dragon Lady's ability though, I can destroy that face-down right away, but luckily for you I can't attack this turn. So now I activate Mystic Eruption to inflict 1000 points of damage to you for that face-down you lost." I'm now down to 2100, "But I'm not done, now I play my Thunder Nyan Nyan in attack mode and attack your Luster Dragon! Last chance, next turn, you're dead."

I draw Pot of Greed, "Okay, I'll activate Pot of Greed!" I draw Monster Reborn and Raigeki. "Alright, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Luster Dragon!"

"Ha! What for? I'll just destroy it again!"

"You'll see. Now I activate Raigeki to destroy every one of your monsters!"

"WHAT?! No way!"

"Yep, and now Luster Dragon, end this duel!"

Vivian's Life Points drop to 0 as she falls to her knees. I smile at the sight of her. Hopefully, she'll shut up now. "Ugh, how could I lose to such a weakling!" she says.

I roll my eyes and then walk back up to the bridge. "Wow that was a great win!" Tea says.

Yami puts his arms around me and then kisses me, "Yeah, great job." He says.

"Thanks guys." I say.

I look up at the small TV screen at the corner of the wall to see that Zigfried guy is dueling. "Unbelievable!" Roland says on the screen, "Zigfried Lloyd has won the match against Balfrey Ginger in only one turn!"

"One turn?" Joey says.

"How could he win a duel that quickly?" Yami says.

**A lot of people asked me for this duel, but I actually planned for it to happen from the beginning (go figure). Plus, Yami hates Vivian for being mean to Ari, hooray! And this is the best name I could come up with, I don't know, it sounds weird to me. Umm… there's only like seven of eight (shown) duels left to do, so then I can move onto the plot people actually care about.**


	5. Up in Flames

~Sabrina~

All of us surround a TV screen in a room for finalists and wait for the quarter-final matches to be announced. I look up to see Roland take the microphone, "Spectators and duelists! Round one has come to a close and it's time to recap our final eight. First is the undefeated Leon Wilson, the man-eater Ethan Shark…"

"Come on! Just announce the duels already!" Joey yells at the screen.

"You know, instead of complaining, you may want to look over your deck." Yugi says.

"I'm not complainin'! I'm da coolest guy here!"

"I doubt it." I say.

We look back up at the TV screen to see them showing the match-ups. The duels are; Joey vs Zigfried, me vs Rebecca, Leon vs Ethan, and Jafar vs Paul. "Whoa, you're facing Zigfried!" Yugi says.

"Eh, I'm not worried. Imma win no matta what!" Joey says.

"I don't know, Joey. He beat that other guy in only one turn." I say.

"So?"

I roll my eyes and then look back over at Rebecca, who looks rather nervous. "So Rebecca, are you nervous that I might beat you?" I ask.

"No, I'll win for sure!" she says, but I can still see doubt in her eyes.

Mokuba then walks into the room, "Alright everyone, time for the first duel to begin!" he says.

All of us walk out the door and Joey rushes ahead to Zigfried, "Hey Zigfried, I just wanna wish you da best of luck out there." He says.

"Unlike you, I don't rely on luck!" he says. Now that we can hear his voice, he has a thick German accent.

Zigfried walks out the door and Joey runs up to him, enraged, "Hey buddy! I'm tryin' to be nice here! Where I come from, we actually show our opponents respect!"

Zigfried merely swats Joey away from him and keeps walking. Joey looks like he wants to tackle Zigfried now, "Joey, save it for the duel!" Yugi says.

"Heir Joseph, I think it would be wise if you listened to your friend." Zigfried says.

"Shut up! No one asked you!" Joey says.

"You're right. I've wasted enough time on your already."

Zigfried continues to walk away, and Tristan has to hold Joey back from going after him. Joey finally calms down and we begin to walk where his duel is supposed to take place. "I'll see you guys around. I'll go and wait for when my duel is supposed to come around." Rebecca says.

"You sure?" Yugi says.

"Yeah, but you'll see me soon." She hugs Yugi tightly and then walks away.

We start to walk out of the building, but Mokuba stops us, "Hey guys, can I ask you something?" he says, "Have you noticed anything suspicious about any of the other competitors?"

"Um, no." Yugi says.

"Why do you ask?" I say.

"Well, do you remember when that duel computer trapped us in the arena? Well, we think somebody hacked into it and made it go that way. Seto thinks the hacker is already inside Kaiba Land though and is one of the competitors. Just tell us if you see anything."

"Alright."

We head over to some kind of amusement park lava pit where Joey is supposed to duel Zigfried. We get there to see that the duel is just about to start. "Alright, here goes!" Joey says, "Erm, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

I wonder if he had a bad hand or something. "Zhis is how it's done, so watch and learn Heir Joseph." Zigfried says, "I will start by playing Graceful Charity and vhen I'll end by placing one card face-down."

_Is he setting Joey up? _Hopefully, Joey might notice that. "Alright, time to turn up da heat!" Joey says as he draws. The volcanoes a distance away then begin to spew lava, along with the pools around us, "Dats not what I meant!"

"Is this that hacker again?" I say.

"Yeah, it seems like it." Mokuba says.

Everything begins to calm down a bit, so the duel continues, "Okay, I summon Brigadier of Landstar in attack mode!" Joey says, "Next I equip him with Landstar Shot to increase its attack points! Now attack Zigfried directly!"

"Hold off. I activate my Wotan's Judgment." Zigfried says, "Zhis lets me switch the top card of my deck zwith any magic card in my hand. Und zwith zis magic card, I can negate your attack. My turn and I think I'll activate Pot of Greed. Next, I'll activate Goddess Erda's Guidance, which lets me discard one magic card and take one trap card from my Graveyard and set it. Zhat will do for now."

He's got to be baiting Joey. Or at least, waiting to play some other card. Whatever it is, Joey will be in trouble. "Alright, I'll sacrifice my Brigadier of Landstar to summon Jinzo! And now I can destroy you're trap card! Now attack that chump directly!"

Zigfried is down to 1600 Life Points. "How dare you, Heir Joseph; you've gotten my suit quite dirty. But now, your end vill come. For I activate Ride of zhe Valkyries! Now I can summon three of my Valkyrie Zweiti's and my Valkyrie Erste! Und zhanks to Zweiti, I can automatically destroy your Jinzo. Now ladies, if you vill, please dispose of Heir Joseph."

"Wrong! I activate Hyper Refresh to double my Life Points before your attack, but will still bring me down to 800 though."

"Zhat won't last long. I set one card face-down und end my turn."

Zigfried's Valkyries then return to his deck via their effects. The hacked lava pit settles down more and Mokuba leaves to go check on Kaiba. "Fine, I'll summon Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode! Now, attack him directly!"

"I'm afraid it's not zhat easy. Activate Fricka's Mediation, so I may remove a card from zhe Grave und negate said attack." Joey sets a card then ends his turn, "Very well, now I shall activate Nibelung's Treasure. Now I can place Nibelung's Ring upon your monster und I draw five cards. I vill now activate Goddess Urd's Verdict, Goddess Verdande's Guidance, und Goddess Skuld's Oracle. Vith Skuld, I may look at the top three cards in your deck each turn and rearrange them in any way I wish. Verdande allows me to guess what card is on zhe top of your deck, und if I'm correct; you must set that card face-down. Und with Urd, I may guess what your face-down is, und if I'm right, it must be removed from play."

Zigfried uses all of their effects and ends up removing Panther Warrior from the game. Joey draws, but due to Nibelung's Ring, it lets him draw an extra card, bit Zigfried must make him discard one of them, which that card is Knight of Dark Dragons. And it also prevents Swordsman of Landstar from attacking. "Whatever, I'll activate Dangerous Machine Type-6!" Joey says, "Now I can roll a dice each turn and I get something depending on the number I roll. But for now, I'll have to end my turn."

Zigfried activates the effect of his Goddesses, causing Goblin Attack Force to be removed. He just sets a card face-down and ends his turn. Joey draws his two cards and then discards Grappler of Landstar, "Alright, now it's time to use my Dangerous Machine! And I roll… a three! Now I can draw another card and then summon my Sasuke Samurai!"

"Unfortunately for you, I activate Loge's Flame, meaning any monster with 2000 or less attack can't attack."

"Fine, I'll activate Graceful Dice! Come on… a three?! Crap! Ugh alright, I'll just set this face-down."

The cycle of Goddesses continues, making Joey lose Gearfried. "I'll now activate Swan Maiden to summon my Valkyrie Erste to zhe field. Attack now!"

"Its' not over yet; activate Silver Dollar! Now I can negate your attack!" Zigfried sets a card and ends his turn. The effect of Nibelung's Ring results in Joey discarding Blue Flame Swordsman. "Okay, go Dangerous Machine, give me… a three! Now I can draw another card! Now I can activate Roll of Fate and roll… five! Time to draw five more cards! Check dis out; Giant Trunade!"

"Activate Apple of Enlightenment, which lets me draw one card. Und since Loge's Flame was destroyed; I can summon my Valkyrie Brunhilde!"

"But now I sacrifice Swordsman of Landstar to summon Maximum Six! With its effect, I can roll a die and it gets a power boost depending on the number I roll. And I get a six! Next I activate Star Blaster and target my Sasuke Samurai to roll a die and depending on the number, I can sacrifice it to summon a monster of that level from my hand. And I got a five so now I can summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Maximum Six, take out Brunhilde!"

"Yes, but I can reduce her attack by 1000 to prevent her destruction. Of course, my Life Points are still dropped to 900 though."

"Fine, Red-Eyes, destroy Erste! Then I'll set one card face-down."

Zigfried now only has 100 Life Points left. "Zhis duel will soon be over Heir Joseph! So I activate Enchanted Sword Nothung and equip it to Brunhilde to raise her attack power! Now remove from play his Red-Eyes! Next I vill play Rainbow Bridge Bifrost so I can raise Brunhilde's attack points for every monster I've removed from play."

"Hold on, I activate Compensation Mediation! Now you need to pick two cards from your Graveyard and place them face-down, along with my Mediation card! And if I pick my card, then your attack is negated! So I'll pick… the middle one. Which is… Swan Maiden?!"

"Yes, looks like I win. Life isn't always fair, now is it, Heir Joseph?" Zigfried says walking away.

Joey falls to his knees in a state of defeat. "You did well, Joey. It just wasn't your time." I say.

He sighs, "I guess."

**At first, I got confused if Zigfried was German or French, due to him using the constant 'z' in his speech. But I later realized it was German because in the anime he said a few words in German. So using the knowledge about German I learned last year, plus some help from the anime, I made his dialogue as humanly German as possible, while still speaking English. But maybe I went overboard, but I don't care. I can only hope you guys can still figure out what he's saying.**


	6. Clever Girls

~Sabrina~

Joey sighs, "Why did I have to lose to a guy with pink hair?" he asks himself.

"He was just better than you, that's all." Tristan says.

"But I wanna be number one!"

"I don't think that'll happen with Yugi around." I say.

"Hey, you're not da one who becomes one of da runner-ups every tournament!" I glare at him, "Oh, right… Well, I'm always below you!"

"Well Joey, hopefully with every loss, it'll give you more experience to be a better duelist." Yugi says.

"Then Joey should be a champ by now." Tristan adds.

Joey frowns and looks like he's going to start with one of his rants again. I then slap my forehead, "Shoot! I forgot that I have to duel Rebecca now!" I say.

"Well, then let's go!" Yugi says.

We run to the other side of Kaiba Land to where I'm supposed to duel Rebecca. It's supposed to be in a Ferris wheel, which I don't get how. Rebecca waits by the entrance to it and then looks at us, "Yugi!" She says clinging to him.

"Hi Rebecca." He says.

"Sorry we're late, we lost track of time." I say.

Rebecca continues to cling to Yugi and doesn't seem to be paying attention, "Um Rebecca, don't you think you should be dueling now?" Yugi says.

She sighs, "Alright…"

Rebecca and I walk up to the Ferris wheel and head for one of the cars, which is extremely long, so I guess Kaiba planned it that way so a duel could happen here. "Wait Sabrina, how are we supposed to watch? There's only enough room for you two to duel." Tea says.

"I guess you'll have to wait down here." I say, "But there's probably a camera in there so people can watch."

"Alright. Good luck!" Yugi says.

I nod and then get into the car as the door shuts. I walk over to the opposite side of Rebecca and face her.

~Ari~

The Ferries wheel begins to move, and I lose my footing for a moment, but then shortly regain it. I look at Rebecca to see her staring out the window and looking at Yugi below, who's waving. "Aww… why can't my Yugi watch me duel from here?" she says to herself.

I sigh and clear my throat, "I believe we have a duel to play." I say.

She tears her face away from the window and then looks at me, "Alright."

"Okay, I'll take the first move." My hand contains; Dust Tornado, Swords of Revealing Light, Kaiser Sea Horse, Luster Dragon, and Meteor of Destruction. "First, I play Meteor of Destruction to inflict you with 1000 points of damage! Then I'll play Luster Dragon in attack mode and set one card face-down. That ends my turn."

Rebecca is down to 3000 Life Points. "Not bad, so I'll set two cards face-down and then summon my Fire Princess in attack mode! Next I'll activate Tribute to the Doomed to discard one card to destroy Luster Dragon!"

"Activate Dust Tornado!"

She sighs, "Fine, I'll end my turn."

I draw Magician's Valkria, "Alright, I'll summon Magician's Valkria in attack mode! Then I'll use her to destroy your Fire Princess! Now, Luster Dragon, attack her Life Points directly!"

Rebecca's down to 800 Life Points now. "I'll activate Pot of Greed! Then I'll set two cards and place a monster in defense mode! Your turn."

I draw Trap Hole, "I'll set one card face-down. Now, Luster Dragon, attack her face-down monster!"

"You destroyed my Witch of the Black Forest. Now I can add a monster with 1500 or less defense points to my hand."

"Very well. Magician's Valkria, attack her Life Points directly!"

"Activate Scapegoat!"

" I'll end my turn then."

"Alright, next I'll summon _my _Luster Dragon!"

"Activate Trap Hole!"

Rebecca gives a pout-face and then ends her turn. I draw Celtic Guardian, "I'll summon Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode and then use my monsters to destroy three of your Scapegoats!"

"Well, now I activate Gravity Bind! Now all level 4 or higher monsters can't attack." I end my turn, "Aww, fine I'm forced to end my turn as well."

I draw Hinotama, "Go Hinotama! That ends my turn."

Rebecca is now down to 300 Life Points. She passes her turn again. I wonder if Gravity Bind is affecting her deck too much. I draw Mystical Space Typhoon, "I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Gravity Bind! Now my monsters will destroy three of your Scapegoats!"

"I'll activate Token Thanksgiving to boost my Life Points by 800 for the one Scapegoat I have left! Now I'm up to 1100! I'll end my turn."

I draw Divine Queen, "Alright, first I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse and Magician's Valkria in order to summon Divine Queen! Now Luster Dragon, destroy her last Scapegoat! And Divine Queen, end this duel!"

"What?! I lost?"

~Sabrina~

"Apparently so." I say.

The Ferries wheel then makes its way around again and stops once we reach the ground. Rebecca continues to pout as we walk out of the car. We find the gang standing around a small TV screen, which must've shown the duel. "Yugi! Yugi!" Rebecca cries, "How could I lose?!"

She clings to him, as he tries to comfort her. "Well, you did your best Rebecca." He says.

"Well, anyway." Joey says turning to me, "Dat was a pretty good duel."

"Thanks." I say.

"YUGI!" someone shouts running toward us.

**I felt like ending it with a cliffhanger, okay? I had nothing better to write. I pictured the duel to be longer, but I don't wanna redo it because I'm really tired right now, so the chapter probably sounds a bit sloppy and lazy, and it took me forever to figure out where they would duel (kind of a crappy setting, in my opinion) but I just went with it. Jurassic Park reference to the title, which my bro came up with and I had nothing better to figured out.**


	7. Love Games

~Sabrina~

"Yugi!" the person shouts once again. We turn around to see Professor Halkins running in our direction.

Rebecca spots him right away and rushes up to him, "Grandpa, how could I lose?" she cries clinging to him.

Professor Halkins seems to ignore her, "Yugi, it's your grandfather!" he says.

"What happened to Grandpa?" I ask.

"What, did he never make it to the medical center?" Yugi says.

"Yes, he was there all right. I left the room briefly to go get the doctor, but once we came back, he was gone."

"Don't sweat it!" Joey says, "He probably walked out on his own."

"But he was barely able to even move."

"Maybe somebody helped him." Tea says.

"Yeah, but, we don't know anyone else in the tournament. And I seriously doubt Kaiba had the heart to personally take care of him." Tristan says.

I glance over at Yugi to see extreme worry on his face. I'm about as worried as he is, but I don't show it as much. "Anyways, let's go out and look for him. It won't be too hard." I say.

The gang and I then set out to look for him. Professor Halkins and Rebecca decide to go back to the medical center in case Gramps comes back, even though it's doubtful. We split up and search around Kaiba Land. I search the most obvious places for him to be, which would be near most of the food stands. I run past a few more rides and then the intercom turns on, "Attention Kaiba Land guests, a short, chubby, elderly man, wearing overalls and a black bandana has been separated from his loved ones. If anyone has lost a man following this description, he's waiting at the main gate."

That's him! I run off toward the main gate, but I can't help feel that I recognize the woman's voice over the intercom. I stop near the main gate in front of a small Blue-Eyes statue and wait. I then notice Yugi and the others coming this way, "So, you heard that announcement also?" I ask.

"Yep!" Yugi says.

"But wait. Then why isn't he here?" Tea says.

"I don't know." Duke says.

I lean against the Blue-Eyes statue and then feel something hit my back. I turn around to see a scroll with chibi panda faces on it attached to one of its claws, "Hey, what's this?" I say untying it from the claw.

I unfold the scroll as Yugi leans in toward the note. "It's a map." I say.

"It looks like the layout for Kaiba Land." Yugi says.

"And look here; there's an 'X' by that restaurant." Tristan adds.

"So if we go to da 'X', then we find Grandpa?" Joey says.

"But why would Yugi's grandpa tell us to come here, only to flee and give us a note of where to follow him?" Duke says. "This has to be some sort of trap."

"Well, I ain't fallin' into a trap!" Joey says.

"But it seems like we always do that. How is this time any different?" I say.

"I'm sick of all these traps! They're drivin' me crazy!"

"Joey, the best way to avoid the trap is to spring it." Yugi says, "We need to go, or at least I will."

"And I'm going." I say, "The rest of you coming or not?"

"Of course we will. We're a team!" Tea says, "Right guys?"

"Yeah, I guess." Joey says.

We then follow the map to the location where the 'X' was. We go down an alleyway, turn a corner, and then Duke stops in front of a restaurant, "This is it." He says.

The restaurant is Chinese and seems rather large, red, and classy. "So, when we're losin' our minds trying to find him, he's stuffing his face?" Joey says.

Yugi steps up to the door and pushes them open, "Grandpa! Are you here?" he shouts across the dark room.

We take a few steps into the room and then firecrackers begin to go off. Then somebody bangs a deafening gong and the lights turn on. The place looks even bigger from the inside and there's food spread across almost all the tables. "Yeah! We're just in time for lunch!" Joey says.

Yugi and I seem to be the only ones paying attention to the matter at hand, instead of the appearance of the restaurant or food. Tristan and Joey can't contain themselves any longer and dash toward the tables. "Hold off! I didn't see you two on the guest list!"

We look up to the second level of the restaurant to see somebody standing on the railing. My mood worsens once I see who it is; Vivian. She holds two fans in her hands and starts showing off her kung-fu again. God, I would've preferred if a demon showed up instead of her. "Hey, why don't ya come down here and tell us what's goin' on?" Joey says

"Fine!" she says.

Vivian jumps off of the railing, and she'll probably break or at least fracture some bones from that fall. But instead, she starts to fall slowly and gracefully to the ground. _Will she ever stop showing off? _"Wait, look over there guys!" Duke says as he points.

We look over to see an old man wearing a fancy Chinese robe and is slowly adjusting a rope, which obviously is holding Vivian up. "Um… is that Grandpa?" I say.

"What what're you doing here Gramps?" Yugi says.

"Uh, I can explain…" he says.

He doesn't even look like his back was ever injured. He then let's go of the rope and Vivian falls the rest of the way down and lands painfully on the ground. "You idiot!" she shouts to Grandpa, "You had one simple job! Even an infant could do it better than you!"

"Erm, give me another chance. I'll do better next time." He says.

"Wait, did Vivian kidnap you, or did you plan this?" Yugi asks.

"Oh, forget about that old man!" Vivian says. She snaps her fingers and Grandpa rings the gong again. "Now, welcome to the _real _Grand Prix tournament Yugi." Her tone of voice is rather velvety, "Where you and I will duke it out for the crown!" now her tone speaks insane.

_"This woman needs to shut up." I tell Ari._

_"She angers me. I'm taking over." She says._

~Ari~

"Look, I already beat you! There's no reason for you to be here!" I say.

"I'm starting my own tournament! So Yugi, keep your friends quiet and let's duel!" Vivian shouts.

"Sorry, it's against Kaiba's rules to duel you." Yugi says who surprisingly hasn't been taken over by Yami yet.

"You're making a mistake! You have to duel Vivian!" Grandpa says.

"What?! Don't tell me Vivian hypnotized ya or something'?" Joey says.

"Well, it's a funny story… I was suffering in my hospital bed, when Vivian walked in. She was able to cure my back with one quick jab! So if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be standing here, so I owed her a favor by getting you to show up."

"You-! How could ya! Ya turned your back on us!" Joey says.

"You're right… I've done a terrible thing." Grandpa says.

"So, is this how it's going to be?" Vivian says, "Fine." She gets into a kung-fu stance and then jabs Grandpa's back, making him fall over once again and lie there in pain. "So if you want your grandfather to walk again, then you're going to duel me!"

"Fine, let's do this!" now Yami says.

Vivian and Yami jump up onto two of the tables. "I knew you couldn't resist." Vivian says, "So, if you beat me, then your grandfather walks free. But if I win, then you're going to be my love slave."

_Y-Yami? Her love slave? _I can feel a pit in my stomach and I clench my fists so hard that they could be on the verge of bleeding as my anger increases, "That's way over the line!" I shout, "You can't subject him to that! He's not going to duel you!"

"Calm down, Ari, I won't lose." Yami says, "Vivian, if that's your challenge, then I must accept."

I'm still angry and I know Yami is _way _more skilled than Vivian, but just the very thought of such things just makes me sick. The duel goes on and right now Yami is down to 3500 Life Points and has Dark Magician on the field. While Vivian has 2100 Life Points and has Master Kyonshee and Kung-fu Nyan Nyan on the field. It seems like I'm the only one here paying attention to this duel because the gang is stuffing their faces and Grandpa is in too much pain to notice.

"Now I activate Luminous Clouds to sacrifice my two monsters to summon Dragon Lady in attack mode!" Vivian says, "And next I equip her with Lightning Saber, to raise her attack points! Now, attack his Dark Magician!" Yami is now down to 3200 Life Points, "Now use your special ability to land a direct attack!"

Yami's down to 1800 Life Points. I clench my fists again, and it takes all of my strength to not tackle Vivian at this point. "My move!" Yami says, "I play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode! Then I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Dragon Lady, rid the field of Big Shield Gardna!"

"Activate Mirror Force!"

"Well, I activate Snowfall Sword! It cancels the effect of your Mirror Force!" Big Shield Gardna is now destroyed, "Now I'll activate Flying Dragon Whirl! This allows me to discard four dragon-type monsters from my hand to raise Dragon Lady's attack points! Now attack him directly!"

"Guess again! I discard Kuriboh from my hand to reduce any damage I would've taken to 0!"

"What?! Darn it! I was so close to having you all to myself!"

_Why can't that woman just shut her face for once? _I clench my fists even harder, which I'm surprised they haven't started bleeding yet. "I'm going to end this duel now!" Yami says, "First, I play my Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode! Next, I activate Pot of Greed! Then I play Emblem of Destroyer to add Buster Blader to my hand! Then I play Monster Reincarnation to return my Dark Magician from my Graveyard to my hand. And for every magic card I activate Skilled Dark Magician gains a spell counter, and I just activated three. Now I can sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician and its spell counters to summon Dark Magician to the field! Next, I play Polymerization to fuse together my Dark Magician and Buster Blader to summon Dark Paladin! And it gains 500 attack points for each monster on the field and in our Graveyards!"

"B-but I just sent four dragons to my Graveyard!"

"Yes. Dark Paladin, wipe out Dragon Lady and the rest of her Life Points! Now it's time for you to pay up your end of the bargain."

Oh thank god he won. "Nooo! It's not fair!" Vivian says.

"Yeah, it is. You made a deal with Yami and you lost." I say.

Vivian sighs and then jumps off of the table toward Grandpa and jabs his back once again; curing him. We watch her leave the restaurant as the rest of the gang goes to see if Grandpa is okay. Yami jumps down from the table and I kiss him, "I'm so glad you won." I say.

He smirks, "I didn't see jealousy on your face before, did I?" he says.

"I wasn't jealous."

"Yes, but that's what you say. I know you too well to tell you're lying though."

**It annoyed me how the animators didn't even tell us how the duel started off, would it kill them just to animate another freaking like 2 minutes? And 'love slave' was the Japanese dialogue, and I liked that better than the idea 'of only one date' like in 4Kids. And I'm quite proud of myself for making that last cute scene.**


	8. Rising Up

~Sabrina~

"What are the match-ups now for the semi-finals?" Gramps asks.

"Hmm… I think its Zigfred versus that Paul McGregor guy, and Sabrina versus Leon." Yugi says.

"Where did Kaiba set up my duel to be?" I say.

"I think he set it for the Battle City Theater. It's not too far from here."

I wonder what the Battle City Theater is; I have an idea, but I'm not sure. We all start walking down the street toward the Theater and eventually find the building. It's shaped like Kaiba's blimp that we rode on, but of course, much smaller. There's a sign on one of its walls that reads; _"Now showing; Battle City the Movie!"_

"Ha! I bet Kaiba would love to watch himself lose again!" Joey says.

"You're one to talk, Joey. You lost in the first round of the finals." Tea says.

"Well, at least it wasn't _my own _tournament!"

We enter the theater to find it's square-shaped on the inside and has four blank TV screens covering the walls. There are no seats or anything; it's just for standing and staring at the screens. Leon stands in the middle of the theater, "Oh, hey guys!" he says.

"Hi Leon. It's a good time you've gotten this far." Yugi says.

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised myself. I doubt I'll win this duel."

"You never know, Leon, we'll just have to find out." I say.

"Ha, right."

~Ari~

Leon and I go to our respective area of the theater and face each other to duel. The lights dim and then the screens begin to light up. It shows flashes of all of the duels through Battle City, mostly of the finals though, because that was the most of it that was recorded. I look up and remember watching and playing through all these duels, while Leon stares at them with excitement and awe. There's no sound to them or else that may distract us from our duel.

Leon collects himself and then looks at me, "Okay, I'll take the first move." He says, "And I summon my Forest Wolf in attack mode! I'll end my turn."

My hand contains; Divine Queen, Luster Dragon, Meteor of Destruction, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Magic Cylinder, and Cost Down. "First, I activate Meteor of Destruction! Then I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode and use it to destroy your Forest Wolf! I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Leon is down to 2900 Life Points. "Now I summon Gilfe the Phantom Bird in attack mode! And thanks to its special ability, I can destroy your face-down card. Then I'll play my Gingerbread House and end my turn."

I draw Kuriboh, "Alright, first-!" I stop as I watch Leon's Gingerbread House swallow up Luster Dragon and then spit it out, as it looks rather fat now.

"Oh yeah, thanks to the ability of my Gingerbread House, I can choose one monster on your side of the field and give it 600 extra attack points. And since now it goes over 2500, I can destroy that monster, while I gain 500 extra Life Points."

Now he's up to 3400. "I'll summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode and end my turn."

"Then I'll summon Cinderella in attack mode! And now I can special summon Pumpkin Carriage in defense mode! Then I'll equip Cinderella with Glass Slippers, which allows her to attack you directly. And now Gilfe will destroy your Celtic Guardian."

I'm down to 3700 Life Points. I draw Chaos Command Magician, "I'll activate Cost Down to reduce the levels of all monsters in my hand by two, so I can summon my Chaos Command Magician in attack mode! Now destroy his Gilfe!"

Leon is down to 2500 Life Points. "Wow, good move. But now Cinderella can attack you directly again! And by using the ability of Glass Slippers, I can equip them to your Magician and decrease its attack by 1000. I'll play one card face-down and end my turn."

I'm down to 3400 Life Points. I didn't expect Leon to be this good, even if he's undefeated, but his deck works really well together. I draw Magician's Valkria, "I summon Magician's Valkria in attack mode! Now destroy Cinderella!"

"I activate Mirror Force! Now all of your monsters are destroyed."

"I'll have to end my turn then."

"And the other effect of Cinderella's Glass Slippers gives her 1000 extra attack points! Now attack her directly!"

I'm down to 2100 now. I draw Monster Reborn, "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Chaos Command Magician! Now destroy Pumpkin Carriage!"

"I'll summon Tom Thumb in defense mode, and do the same with Cinderella. Then I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

I draw Kaiser Sea Horse, "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse and use it to attack Cinderella!"

"Activate Negate Attack! Now I can end the battle phase of this turn."

"Fine, I'll end my turn."

"I'll activate Giant's Training to sacrifice Tom Thumb to summon Globeman! Now destroy Kaiaser Sea Horse!"

I'm down to 1200. I draw Raigki, "Alright, I activate Raigki to destroy all of your monsters! Now, Chaos Command Magician, attack him directly!"

Leon's now down to 100 Life Points. "Okay, I activate 100-Year Awakening to send Curse of Thorns from my hand to the Graveyard to summon my Thorn Princess! And thanks to her ability, I can take control of your Magician, and I'll use him to attack you directly!"

My Life Points drop to 0 and I've lost. Sure I'm bummed about not being in the tournament anymore, but I'm also kind of happy for Leon; he's a good duelist. "Oh wow, I really won?" he says.

"Yeah, you did well Leon. You have more skill than luck on your side." I say.

"That means a lot coming from you. Thanks." Leon says.

"If only Joey could have more skill then luck." I hear Tristan mutter.

I look up to the TV screens to see that they're showing flashes of Kaiba, Marik, and I losing our duels in the finals. It's rather ironic really. The screens shut off after showing a shot of Yami claiming his Battle City title. The lights flick back on, and our eyes adjust to it, "You did great Leon; I'll be looking forward to dueling you if you get that far." Yami says.

"Thanks Yugi, me too."

**I wanted to stick with the Leon vs Yugi thing okay? I know everyone probably wanted to see Sabrina face Yugi again, but eh, I just preferred not to have that. Live with it. And the 'Battle City the Movie' was actually an attraction in one of the various Kaiba Lands in the manga I believe. I looked that up on the wikia. Oh and I had off school today, so that's why I updated early.**


	9. A CEO's Intrusion

~Sabrina~

We sit in the front row of the Blue-Eyes Dome and wait for the start of the finals. The duel is Zigfried versus Leon; only one will face Yugi. "Yes, let the finals match begin between Leon Wilson and Zigfried Lloyd!" Roland says.

They step up onto the duel arena and get into their positions. I notice a shadow overhead and we all look up to see a helicopter circling the area. _What now? _There's a latter hanging from it and, no surprise, Kaiba hangs from it wearing his white trench coat and holds his usual silver briefcase. "He looks kind of angry up there." Yugi says.

"Yeah, but, it's not like he's ever smiling, or even changes his facial expression." I say.

Kaiba jumps down from the latter and lands on the duel arena and faces Zigfried. "Stop the duel!" he shouts, "As president of Kaiba Corp. I declare this match invalid!"

"He can't do dat can he?" Joey says.

"He just did." Yugi says.

"I wonder why its invalid." I say.

"As result of disqualification, I declare the winner of the match Leon Wilson!" Kaiba says.

"Vhat is zhe reason for zis?" Zigfried says.

"You broke tournament rules. You entered this event with a false name. Zigfried Lloyd… Or should I say Zigfried von Schroeder; president of the Schroeder Corporation!"

"Schroeder Corp? Wasn't that an old gaming company?" Yugi says.

"Actually, it still is a company." Gramps says, "But no one hears from it anymore. Ever since Kaiba Corp. became a gaming company and got the number one spot, Schroeder Corp fell to the bottom."

"I never trusted you from the start, Zigfried." Kaiba tells him, "It makes perfect sense though; Kaiba Corps biggest rival enters my tournament, hacks my system, and tries to make a fool out of me. But nice I'm in a good mood today; I won't have you arrested for trespassing and fraud. My only condition is that you get your filthy shoes out of my life! I never want to see your pathetic face again, and if I do, then I won't hold back on informing the police!"

"What a coward you are Heir Kaiba. You're just afraid of my superior skills and you don't vant me to gain the Championship Crown." Zigfried says.

"Hmph, on second thought, no one's going anywhere. I'll kick you out myself, once I beat you in a duel."

"Very well, if I vin then I stay…"

"And if you lose then you can go back to living your miserable and lonely life; never to be heard from again."

Roland walks up to Kaiba and holds up his briefcase for him. Kaiba reaches inside it and pulls out his Duel Disk and then walks to the blue side of the dueling arena, while Zigfried takes the red one. Kaiba plugs in the cable from his Duel Disk into the arena and the duel is ready to begin. "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" Kaiba says, "Then I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Now watch as I play Ride of zhe Valkyries!" Zigfried says, "Now say hello to Valkyrie Erste, Zweiti, and Dritte! Und thanks to their ability; your Cannon goes straight to zhe Graveyard! Und then I activate zhe ability of Erste to remove it from play. Now my Valkyries, attack him directly!"

"Activate Negate Attack! Now prepare to send your Valkyries back to your deck!"

"Yes, though they wish for an encore. For I play Mischief of zhe Time Goddess! Now I can skip right to my next turn and make another direct attack!"

"Reveal Magical Trick Mirror! Now it takes the effect of one card from your Graveyard and I choose Mischief of the Time Goddess! Your turn is over and it's back to me. Now I summon Z-Metal Tank to the field in defense mode! Next I can special summon my Clone Dragon card to the field in defense mode! That ends my turn."

"Activate Valkyries Embrace! Now I may switch Dritte to defense mode to rid the field of your Z-Metal Tank. Und now, Erste, destroy his Clone Dragon und Zweiti, attack him directly!"

Kaiba is down to 2400 Life Points. "Come on, you'll have to do better than that. I'll summon my Pitch-Dark Dragon in defense mode! Then I'll play one card face-down and end my turn."

"Very well, I switch Dritte into attack mode. Und Zweiti, destroy his Dragon!"

"Reveal face-down; Flat Lv 4! Now both of us can summon a four star monster to the field and I choose my Y-Dragon Head!"

"Und I think I'll summon another Dritte."

"Well, I activate Pot of Greed! Next, I activate Dimension Fusion to bring my Life Points to 400 in order to bring back my X-Head Cannon and Z-Metal Tank! And now I activate Soul Absorbtion, so that whenever a monster is removed from play, I gain 500 Life Points! So now I remove all three of my monsters to summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Now destroy his Valkyrie Dritte!"

Kaiba is up to 1900 Life Points, while Zigfried is down to 2500. "I think Nibelung's Treasure should take care of you. Zis lets me add Nibelung's Ring to your Dragon Cannon. Und I also get to draw five new cards. Now I sacrifice Dritte to summon Fortune Chariot! Now I can equip it to my Zweiti, and allow her to attack you directly! Zhen I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy zhat Soul Absorbtion of yours. I'll end my turn by placing one card face-down."

Kaiba is down to 1100 Life Points. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Valkyrie Zweiti, attack him directly!"

"Activate Attack Guidance Armor! Now I can redirect your attack to Valkyrie Erste!"

"I have a trap card of my own; Wotan's Judgment! Now I can switch zhe top card of my deck with a magic card from my hand to negate the attack. Very good, now I play Goddess Urd's Verdict, Goddess Verdande's Guidance, and Goddess Skuld's Oracle! Now let's have a look at zhe top three cards of your deck, shall we?"

The holograms of the three cards show up; they're all Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Zigfried then declares that his top card is a monster, and then declares it as Blue-Eyes, so it gets removed from play. Due to Nibelung's Ring, Kaiba must discard the monster he drew (Blue-Eyes), "Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Now destroy Zweiti!"

"You forget Heir Kaiba that even if Fortune Chariot is destroyed, I don't lose Zweiti, though I still lose Life Points."

Zigfried is down to 1100. "Now using zhe power of my Goddesses, I can look at your cards. Und I say the first card is Luster Dragon #2! Next I activate Gryphon's Feather Duster! Now for every magic or trap card I just destroyed I gain 500 Life Points, bringing me to 2600! Und finally, I sacrifice my Erste and Zweitit to summon Valkyrie Brunhilde in defense mode! Und now you must remove from play the monster you drew which is Cave Dragon!"

"I know that genius. Now Blue-Eyes, attack!"

"But now I can reduce its defense by 1000 to prevent its destruction."

"Fine, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Und now I switch Brunhilde into attack mode! Then I'll activate Enchanted Sword Nothung to riase her attack power and to remove from play your Blue-Eyes! Now I activate Pegasus Ving to let Brunhilde attack you directly!"

"I'll weaken her with my Shrink card!" Kaiba's Life Points still drop to 550 though.

"How does it feel to be in zhe dust Heir Kaiba? Well, imagine feeling zhis way your entire life, just as I have! After I took over my father's company, I turned it into a gaming company, but you had zhe same plan once you took over your own company. I spent my next few years developing holographic gaming technology, but you had figured it out as well! Und you stole my idea and pitched it before I had! Und just think, by today, the reputation of your company will burn up!"

"Hmph, you're obviously wrong. Don't blame me because you came from a family of failures. I've never stolen a thing in my life; I got what I have from my hard work, something you clearly lack. And maybe once I defeat you this time, you'll stay down! Now I activate Graceful Charity! Now I remove from play my Blue-Eyes and Pitch- Dark Dragon from my Graveyard to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon! Then I'll play this face-down and activate Emergency Provisions to send my set card to the Graveyard to gain 1000 Life Points! Now I use Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability to give up 1000 Life Points to destroy every card on the field, including itself, and in our hands!"

Zigfried is dropped to 1100 Life Points via Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect. "I activate Pot of Greed! Next I activate Magical Alms to increase my Life Points to 2100! Und then we can guess how many spell cards we'll play each turn, and if we guess correct, and then both of us will gain 500 Life Points per card! Und if you guess wrong, then you lose 1000 Life Points per card! So I predict I'll only play one magic card zis turn! Now I bring my Life Points to 1600 to summon Brunhilde from my Graveyard! But you are also permitted to summon one from your Graveyard."

"I'll summon my Cave Dragon in attack mode!"

"Now Brunhilde, destroy his Cave Dragon!"

Kaiba is down to 950 Life Points. "I'll predict I'll use four magic cards this turn! Then I activate Card of Demise so I may draw until I have five cards in my hand! Next, I play Soul Release to remove Chaos Emperor Dragon from my Graveyard! Now I play Spell Reproduction to discard two cards to add Dimension Fusion from my Graveyard to my hand. And with a cost of 2000 Life Points, I play Dimension Fusion to summon all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Chaos Emperor Dragon, and Luster Dragon #2! Luster Dragon #2, attack Brunhilde now! Of course, my monster is destroyed and I'm left with only 50 Life Points, but now Chaos Emperor Dragon, attack!"

"Don't you remember? Brunhilde can give up 1000 defense points so she's not destroyed. You've gotten so dense so fast Heir Kaiba."

"Blue-Eyes, it's your turn to attack!"

"I can use her special ability once again!"

Zigfried is down to 3300. "Now my second Blue-Eyes, destroy Brunhilde! And now that your Life Points are lower, my third Blue-Eyes will attack you directly an end this duel!"

"Zhis… isn't over!"

"Face it, Zigfried. You've lost more than this duel; you've lost your reputation, as if you already had one. Now get out of my sight!"

**The episode ended in an evil laugh by Kaiba shortly after that last line, and I just had to end it there. Oh and I found a spelling error that I'm too lazy to fix. When Zigfried says 'Heir…' it's actually spelled 'Herr…'. And the next chapter will finish KC Grand Prix and I can get on with the real plot!**


	10. Lies and Secrets

~Sabrina~

"I don't like how Kaiba won, but anything is betta than dat Zigfried guy." Joey says.

"Yeah, he was really annoying." Tristan says.

"It's pretty low of Zigfried to do such a thing when he's that strong of a duelist." Yugi says.

Mokuba runs up to Kaiba as he walks off of the duel arena, leaving Zigfried on his side still stunned. Roland then takes the microphone once again, "The time has now come for our final duel! The match for the World Champion title will be between Leon Wilson and our champion, Yugi Muto!" he announces.

I glance over toward Leon, and see a glimmer of worry and disappointment on his face. _Is he just worried about the duel? _Probably so. We exit the Blue-Eyes Dome and walk over to a large and fancy building referred to as the Blue-Eyes Castle. It's a large white mansion with a dark blue roof and a few Blue-Eyes statues here and there. The duel will take place on a large balcony to the mansion, while Mokuba gives us the best place to watch the duel, which is a smaller balcony over the main one.

The rest of the gang head up to the balcony, while I stay behind with Yugi. He enters a hallway with purple wall paper and torches along the walls.

~Ari~

"I'm sure you'll do well." I tell Yami. "Even if your title is on the line."

"Yeah and thank you." Yami says, "I'm looking forward to seeing how Leon duels."

"He's a pretty good kid; he might be a bit of a challenge for you."

"I know. The duel's about to start, I'll see you afterwards." He kisses me and I give him a quick hug.

I head in the opposite direction of the hallway and head up the stairs to the balcony we're supposed to watch at. The rest of the gang is already there, so I walk up to the front of the balcony and lean over the edge. "The battle for the title of World Champion will now commence!" Roland says, "Introducing our current champion; Yugi Muto!" we watch as Yami steps out on the balcony and the crowd cheers, "And our challenger; Leon Wilson!"

Leon then appears, but he isn't himself. His face shows annoyance and anger; not the same kid we met a few days ago. The two get into their positions and Roland makes another announcement, "Now for a few words from our gracious host!"

There's a third balcony level above us, which is much smaller and Kaiba stands there looking down at us. He just stress at everyone with that same emotionless expression. "He seems kind of angry." Tea says.

"Maybe he's mad because he wishes he was in Leon's place." I say.

"Seto wanted to participate, but he got too busy with work." Mokuba says.

"The KC Grand Prix was designed for one purpose; to decide who deserves the shot at being World Champion!" Kaiba shouts to the crowd, "So these two duelists will face off to decide just that. Now, start the duel!"

Leon takes the first move, "I play my Forest Wolf in attack mode! I end my turn." He says.

"Very well." Yami says, "First, I activate Polymerization to fuse together Gazelle and Berfomet from my hand to summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast! Now attack his Forest Wolf!"

Leon is down to 3700 Life Points. "Is that all? I've waited my entire life for this, so I'm not taking this duel lightly! My only purpose is to win and win big! I'll play Little Red Riding Hood in defense mode and end my turn! Now just make your move!"

"What's up with him? Was that 'good kid' thing an act?" I say.

"Leon." Kaiba mutters to himself. We all look up to face him, "That kid is acting different than any other duel he's ever faced here, and I don't trust it."

"Alright, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" Yami says, "Now attack Little Red Riding Hood!"

"Now to activate her effect." Leon says, "Once she's destroyed, I can summon Forest Hunter to the field. And thanks to his effect, your Chimera gets removed from the game. You've always been a role model to me Yugi and now that I'm finally facing you, I can't even enjoy myself."

An assistant then runs up to Kaiba and hands him some kind of report. We can now hear the chuckle of Zigfried from behind him, "So Zigfried, you've trashed your life and all you have to say for yourself is to drag your own _brother _to the bottom with you." Kaiba says.

"Yes, it is all true." Zigfried says, "Leon Wilson is truly my younger brother; Leon von Shroeder! Und now our family shall seek revenge against the Kaiba's! Und if you choose to cancel the duel, then your company will fall to pieces."

"This duel will go on as scheduled!"

"Very well, now Leon, claim your title as a true von Schroeder!"

"No problem!" Leon says.

"Tell me Leon. Is your goal to defeat Kaiba Corp or is your brother brainwashing you?" Yami says.

"My brother finally needs me, so it's my job to help him! It's my turn, so I summon Iron Hans in attack mode! And now I can summon my Iron Knight also. Next, I activate my Iron Cage to send my Iron Hans to the Graveyard! And when it's in the Graveyard, my Iron Knight gains more attack points. Now destroy his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian! And now, Forest Hunter, attack him directly!"

Yami is down to 2500 Life Points. "Well done Leon, you duel well. Now I'll summon Queen's Knight in attack mode! Now, destroy Forest Hunter! I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Leon is down to 3400 Life Points. "Alright, thanks to my Iron Cage, I can bring back my Iron Hans from the Graveyard. And his effect lets me play another Iron Knight. Next, I activate Spinning Wheel Spindle; this allows me to rid the field of Queen's Knight for three turns. And now, Iron Hans will attack you directly!"

"Activate Mirror Force! Now all of your monsters get destroyed!"

"Fine, I play Water of Life to summon my Iron Hans back to the field which means I can also summon back my Iron Knight. That will end my turn."

"Very well, I activate Pot of Greed! And now I can special summon Watapon to the field in defense mode. And now I'll sacrifice Watapon in order to summon Dark Magician Girl! Now, destroy his Iron Knight!"

Leon is down to 2100 Life Points. "Alright, I activate Pot of Greed also!" he draws his two cards and then stares at one of them with worry, "This one is for the honor of my family; I play the Golden Castle of Stromberg!" I thought that card was never officially released. _How does he have his hands on it? _"Then I'll activate the effect of my Castle to summon Cinderella in attack mode! And now I can special summon my Pumpkin Carriage to the field! Then I'll equip Cinderella with Glass Slippers! Now attack him directly!" Yami is down to 2200 Life Points, "Then the Glass Slippers will get transferred to your Dark Magician Girl and makes her lose 1000 attack points."

"Could that really be it?" Grandpa says to Professor Halkins.

"Yes."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tea asks.

"The Golden Castle of Stromberg was created by Pegasus, but he only made one in existence. It was a reward to a tournament many years ago, but was never meant to be officially released or played in tournaments. Many collectors would die to posses such a card, and it's quite surprising Leon has it in his deck."

"Zigfried, I'm guessing due to your family status, that card was a quick buy." Kaiba says.

"But Seto, it's an illegal card, so Leon's Duel Disk wouldn't've recognized it." Mokuba adds.

"Yes, so the Card Limiter must've been deactivated, and I think I know by who."

"Wait, so that means Leon is cheatin'!" Joey says.

"Is that your real goal Zigfried? To hack my system and turn it into crap?" Kaiba says.

Zigfried just shrugs and looks back over at the duel. "I don't want to cheat…" Leon says, "Is this card really illegal?"

"Leon! If zhat card was played, then it can't be illegal! So win this for zhe Scroeder's!" Zigfried says.

"You've stained the dignity of this duel Zigfried!" Yami says, "You've disgraced the souls of us duelists by cheating your way to win; you'll never be called a true duelist."

"Hmph, zhis is just a mere game."

"It's more than that. You've ruined the sanctity for everyone here; duelists and fans alike. You've even betrayed the heart of your own brother, the one who risked this tournament for your own desires."

Zigfried merely shrugs. "I-I don't want to play dirty, I want to win fairly." Leon says, "Now I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Golden Castle!"

"Sorry, but the Castle vill stay." Zigfried says, "You see, it cannot be destroyed by magic or trap cards!"

"That card was never that powerful before. So, the card's file has been rewritten?" Grandpa suggests.

"What have you done with my programming?" Kaiba says.

"Ah yes, as soon as that card was played, it unleashed a devastating virus that is currently deleting every one of Kaiba Corps Duel Monsters files."

"Launch the anti-virus!" Kaiba orders his assistant.

"I'm afraid it's too late. Say goodbye to your empire, Heir Kaiba!"

"I-I must quit. I can't duel this way!" Leon says.

"I'm afraid it's not zhat easy, Leon. You may surrender, but it won't fix zhe virus. Zhe only vay to vin is to destroy that Castle. Und that's impossible now."

"Now what…?"

"We must continue the duel." Yami says, "I promise you I will find a way to get rid of that card, Leon. Never give up, and we'll win this!"

"Alright…"

Kaiba and Mokuba soon leave to get rid of the virus. "My move-!"

"Not so fast." Zigfried says, "The effect of the Golden Castle vill now activate! You monster will be forced to attack, but it vill fail and inflict damage to your Life Points!"

Yami is down to 1700 Life Points. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Und the Golden Castle comes vith a price. In order to remain activate, the player must discard half of zhe cards in zheir deck, and Yugi must pay it!"

"I guess I use the Golden Castle's effect to bring back my Forest Wolf…" Leon says.

"Yes, Leon, and no your monsters are forced to attack Yugi! First, Cinderella, and now Forest Volf, finish him off!"

"Reveal Dark Magic Retribution!" Yami says, "Now I can summon my Dark Magician Girl back from my Graveyard to protect my Life Points!"

Leon is down to 1900 Life Points and Yami is down to 400. Dark Magician Girl then returns to the Graveyard. "Now since three turns have passed since you activated your Spindle, Queen's Knight returns to the field!" Yami says, "Then I'll play two cards face-down. Next, I activate Card of Sanctity! Now I summon King's Knight in attack mode, which allows me to also summon my Jack's Knight! And I also activate Royal Straight to sacrifice my monsters to summon Royal Straight Slasher! Next, using its ability, I can discard one monster from each of the first five levels, to destroy each card on your side of the field!"

"But, the Golden Castle still stands!" Leon says.

"Then I activate Time Travel, so I can remove my Royal Straight Slasher from the field until my next turn!"

"Yes, now Yugi, you must discard half of your deck!" Zigfried says.

"I'm afraid I must disappoint you. For I only have one card left, so I cannot make one half of a card. So I suppose now your Golden Castle of Stromberg will leave the field."

"Vhat?!"

We watch as the Castle is finally destroyed. "Ha! Looks like Zigfried has lost!" Joey says.

"Not quite. In one vay or another, I have von! By now, most of Kaiba Corps data has been lost! Und Yugi only has one card left!"

"I must forfeit." Leon says.

"No, the rest of this duel shall be fair." Yami says, "So let's continue this duel! And now my Slasher will return to the field!"

"Alright, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Cinderella! And now I can also summon Pumpkin Carriage. Then I sacrifice both of them to call Hexe Trude to the field. Now attack his Slasher! And every time she attacks, her attack points increase."

Yami is now down to 200 Life Points. "Alright, first I play one card face-down. Then I activate Emergency Provisions to destroy my set card to bring my Life Points to 1200! Next, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician! And I'll reveal my Necromancy to summon your Little Red Riding Hood, Forest Wolf, Iron Hans, and Iron Knight to your side of the field in defense mode and Hexe Trude will lose 600 attack each time their attacked. Then I reveal Diffusion Wave Motion to pay 1000 attack points to have my Dark Magician attack each of your monsters! Now finish this duel by ending with attacking Hexe Trude!"

Leon's Life Points go to 0 and Yami wins. Yami walks up to Leon, "Well done, you fought with honor and bravery out there Leon." He says.

"I-I don't know how to thank you." Leon says. Tears run down his cheeks and he sobs against Yami.

"Oh, stop wimpering Leon!" Zigfried says. I look up and notice that he's not above us anymore, but rather standing by Yami and Leon, "We have won zhis battle! Kaiba Corp has lost years vorth of data and its all thanks to you! And now we can-!"

"What? Take all of my business away?" Kaiba says, "That may be so if your plan actually worked. My entire computer network has already been restored, so the only loser here is you."

"NO! My plan vas flawless!"

"Zigfried, stop." Leon says, "Even if your plan did work, nothing would change. Your obsession with the Kaiba's is ruining us."

Zigfried falls to his knees in shame, "Its Kaiba whose ruined us! I'll never beat him!"

"Zigfried, Yugi taught me something today. If we give up, then we'll never achieve anything, but if we keep moving with high spirits, then we'll be able to accomplish something."

"Thank you Leon. I'm sorry." Zigfried says hugging him.

"The KC Grand Prix Championship Match has been decided; Yugi Muto is still our reigning Champ!" Roland announces.

~.~.~

~Sabrina~

We stand in the airport with all of our bags packed and ready to head back home. Mokuba finally arranged a flight for us like he promised and on a private plane too. "Japan here we come!" Tristan says.

"It's too bad you guys have to leave." Duke says, "But who knows, I'll see you guys soon, I'll fly out to go visit Serenity!"

"NO YOU WON'T!" Joey and Tristan shout.

"Don't do anything too reckless this time, Solomon. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself again." Professor Halkins says.

"Nonsense! I'm a picture of health! Ow-! My back!" Grandpa says.

"Bye Yugi!" Rebecca says hugging him, "I'll miss you!"

"Yeah, same here Rebecca." Yugi says.

"Oh crap, guys we're going to be late." I say.

"Oh right, we'll see you guys! We'll try and visit again soon!"

We run off toward our plane, finally ready to go home. We board the plane and sit down, ready for take-off, "That time is coming too quickly." I say touching the Pendant.

"Yeah, but it's the job we've got to finish." Yugi says.

**Yes, I can finally work on the good part of Season 5! Break dance time! Yeah… no. I cannot contain my excitement for Ancient Egypt! This episode weirded the crap out of me; you'd be surprised on how many rape faces Zigfried can pull off in one episode. **


	11. Ultimate Game

~Sabrina~

It's been a week or so since the tournament and its great being back in Japan. Things are rather quiet around the house, which I personally don't mind. Tomorrow morning, Yugi and I are flying out to Egypt to finish our task of helping Yami and Ari find their memories. We would've gone to the museum to see the tablet, but it was moved back to Egypt for unknown reasons. We've already come in contact with the Ishtar's over the matter and they agreed to guide us there.

I stare down at the bag I'm taking on the plane. Clothes. Check. Duel Disk and deck. Check. Usual utensils for going away from home. Check. I look down at my neck. Millennium Pendant. Check! It's a bit late at night and the sky is already black. I zip up my bag and sit down at my desk chair. I'm wearing my pajamas, which is just a white t-shirt and a pair of red fuzzy pajama pants. I then hear Yugi and Grandpa walk up the stairs, "Come on, Gramps! Plleeease!" Yugi begs.

"Absolutely not, Yugi." Gramps says.

_What are they arguing about this time? _I hear them walk into Yugi's bedroom and hear Yugi whine again, "But Grandpa, you've just got to tell me!"

I stand up from my desk chair and walk out of my room. I head into Yugi's room to see Yugi sitting on his bed wearing his blue pajamas and the Puzzle. Grandpa sits on his desk chair in his green pajamas with yellow dots. "What are you guys discussing this time?" I ask from the doorway.

"Grandpa says he won't tell me how he entered the Pharaoh's tomb!" Yugi pouts like a child.

My eyes widen. I immediately jump onto Yugi's bed next to him and sit cross-legged facing Grandpa, "Tell us!" I say sounding like an eager five-year old.

Grandpa sighs, "Alright…"

"Yay!"

"Let's see here. Ah yes! _It was over forty years ago, in the '60's if I remember correctly. I was young then, constantly gambling and looking for new excitement and treasures. I had arrived in the Valley of the Kings with two other men. Over sixty ancient tombs have been discovered in such a place, but the tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh was one nobody dared to venture into. There was one man, however, who did enter it and wandered his village speaking of the "Dark Game" before his eventual death came. "We are only guides," one my guides stated, "we're to lead you to the entrance, but we are not your bodyguards. You are the one who is to take us to the treasure."_

_"I'm not after the treasure here." I informed, "I'm only here to challenge the 'Ultimate Game' within this tomb. If I so much as lose, then I vow to give up my gambling life, and I'd be stuck wearing overalls."_

_"It is more than your pride you're risking in this tomb."_

_We entered the tomb at the stroke of midnight, with nothing but common knowledge and torches to light our way. It was beautifully constructed and the Egyptians put lots of effort into creating such a tomb. But, the beauty came with a price; it was loaded with traps that awaited death at any turn. _

_The first game of the traps was a room with snake heads along the walls. The room was littered with skeletons however. The snakes had rubies for eyes, and it didn't seem all that dangerous by the common eye. "We're rich!" one of my guides shouted, "Those jewels shall be ours!"_

_I held him back, knowing he was blind to the truth of the game. I took my cigarette and threw it to the middle of the room, only to be slashed by the deadly needles that shot from the mouths of the snakes. We soon reached the next room, which was empty but with a statue of the Egyptian God Horus; guardian of light. "It's no use! It's a dead-end!" my guide said._

_"To the common eye yes, to an adventurer no." I said._

_I approached a seemingly blank tablet upon the wall next to the statue of Horus. There was a small compartment for tar just below it, which I had lit with my torch. Upon the flames, hieroglyphics appeared upon the tablet. "Ahead is the resting place of the great Pharaoh." It read, "Trespassers' bodies who dare to defy the Gods will be eaten and their souls will be buried in the Dark."_

_"Bah! What garbage do you speak? There is no doorway!"_

_The floor beneath us then opened up and revealed a hidden staircase. We traveled to the bottom of it to reveal the next room. The north and south ends of the room was a large chasm with nothing but a narrow maze to get across. Once again, the room was littered with bodies. "This part does not seem so difficult; a child could run through this."_

_"Don't be so sure." I said, "Now, who wants to go first?"_

_The first guide stepped forward and stepped upon a switch. The doorway to the chamber was then gated shut and the wall grew closer to us, with spikes growing from it. I suppose the Egyptians thought of it as an incentive for motivation to cross the maze. I had run through the maze, only to be halted by a statue. Seeing me, its arms began to move and threaten to cut me open with its sword. I knew it was a game, but I wasn't sure what the solution of it was. I had taken a step backwards, leaving my left foot in front and the statue had stopped. I took another step backwards, with my right foot forward, and it kept moving._

_Then it occurred to me; in Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh's were respected and praised as much as the Gods. Each statue in the Pharaoh's palace would be carved with the left foot forward; for the heart is on the left side of the body, so it was a symbol of respect. So Ancient Egyptians would always turn their hearts to the Pharaoh. I had informed my guides about the riddle and told them to walk with their left foot forward through the maze. _

_I had finally made it to the end, with my guides still trying to pass through it. One of the men, however, got nervous and hesitated to walk that way. By doing so, he was stabbed by the sword, leaving his body to fall to its end. My other guide was clearly angered at the fate that his other suffered, but still we moved forward._

_We made our way through a hallway and reached the final game. Before the doorway, was another inscription, "The Ka residing in the tablets shall judge you. Cowards' souls will be eaten by Specters. Courageous ones will be shown the way." It read._

_"Why should we listen to that nonsense?" my guide said as we entered the room. The room was split by a bridge with carvings across it. "Ah, look at that!" on the other side of the room were two golden boxes; one smaller than the other, "It must be the Pharaoh's treasure! Go on, you first."_

_I approached the bridge and felt a strange sensation; it was as if another presence was inside the room. I began to walk across the bridge, careful not to show fear as the inscription said. I knew my guide was blinded by greed, but I didn't know how far he would go until I witnessed it myself. Bam! Just like that, he had shot me in the back. I fell from the bridge, but managed to hold onto the ledge of it and not fall to the cruel fate below. "Thanks for doing all the work, Doctor Muto." The man spoke, "You've made treasure hunting lots easier."_

_But as he crossed the bridge, a Ka appeared from the ground and swallowed him whole. Terrible fate, really. Just as I was about to lose my grip on the ledge, a white light had appeared and a man stood before me. He was dressed in royalty and had similar features to the Nameless Pharaoh, "Let me help you, Shimon." He spoke._

_Briefly, I had fallen unconscious. When I had awoken again, something in the room felt different. It was as if the darkness and greed that filled the air had lifted. That's when it happened, those two golden boxes seemed to be calling out to me, and little did I know that they held the Millennium Puzzle and Pendant._ Though the Pendant belonged to the Queen, I suppose the Pharaoh wished to keep it close to him, to protect a portion of herself. She had her own tomb in the Valley of the Queens, but it held nothing of importance._"_

"Wow, that's amazing! Too bad you're not as good as you were back then." Yugi says.

Grandpa laughs, "I suppose not."

"Hey Gramps, do you remember where that tomb was by any chance?" I ask.

"Can't say that I do. I hired those two guards to find it for me, and most of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings look the same."

"Dang it. It would be fun to go there. You don't know where the Valley of the Queens is-?"

"You're not going anywhere near that place! Neither of them! Mere teenagers like you would die with those traps!"

"But how do you know the Queen's tomb isn't less dangerous?"

"I don't care! Both of you aren't going there! But Yugi, might I ask, can I see the Egyptian God cards?"

"Really? Again?" Yugi says, "This is like your fifth time today."

"But the very thought of being without them, makes me… so sad."

"Okay, okay." Yugi reaches into his bag and pulls out the box that the Puzzle was once in. He opens it up and takes out the three God Cards. "Here."

"Ah! How wonderful! Can't I keep them?"

Yugi then lunges for the God Cards and takes them from Gramps, "No! The Pharaoh and Queen need these, you should know better!"

"I know… But when you're in Egypt, you two should remember this. Every challenge you face should be treated like a game, there's many solutions that you never think of."

"Sure thing!" Yugi and I say.

"Alright then, get some sleep." Grandpa then leaves the room toward his bedroom.

"Goodnight Yugi." I say.

"Night Sabrina." I walk back into my bedroom and turn off the lights and get into bed.

I wake up to hear a loud crash coming from Yugi's room. "NO! STOP! GET BACK HERE!" Yugi yells.

I bolt up from my bed and run into Yugi's room. His window is broken and two people just jumped off of the roof with the bag that contained the Millennium Items. I immediately run down the stairs and rush outside. I don't care that it's raining, that I'm not wearing shoes, or that I'm in my pajamas. I notice that Yugi is running right behind me.

We chase the two thieves into town, but lose them. We then hear a familiar scream coming from any alleyway. We run down there and look to see that Rex and Weevil are unconscious with Yugi's bag next to them. A man stands over them and then turns around to face us, "No way." I say

"Bakura?" Yugi finishes.

**I love this episode. I remember the first time I saw this; I had a complete spazz attack and like screamed when Atem showed up. I used mostly Japanese dialogue (which I got off the wikia) so that's why things are more violent. For instance, the guide had a gun instead of a slingshot, Gramps had a cigarette instead of a toothpick, and there's no Shadow Realm in the tomb, just a fall to your death.**


	12. On the Move

~Sabrina~

Bakura stands across from Yugi and I wearing a black trench coat, a white and blue striped shirt, and a pair of jeans. "Bakura? What have you done with them?" Yugi says. No answer, "Answer me!"

Bakura darkly grins, "These two got exactly what they deserved. They took something that didn't belong to them, so their souls now rest in the Shadow Realm." He says.

He turns to face Rex and Weevil's unconscious bodies. He lifts his foot and kicks Rex's body and then grabs Yugi's duffle bag that was beneath him. "Catch." Bakura throws the bag toward Yugi.

Yugi catches it and unzips it and looks inside. It looks like all the Items and God Cards are untouched… wait, except for, "Bakura, give us back the Millennium Ring!" I say.

"I'm afraid it's to be in my possession for now. But don't worry, I'll return it, eventually." Bakura says.

"Give it back now!" Yugi demands.

"Yes, but you failed to acquire all of them. The eight Items will come together eventually in the place they were birthed. I understand you're still missing two of them, which would give you an incomplete task."

"Wait, what happens once they're gathered? What do you know about the Items?" I question.

"I'll tell you that such a place lies in a small village known as Kul Elna, in a relic, or artifact of sorts. Once all Items are placed within it, the Realm of the Dead will open."

"Are you saying that once it's opened, the Pharaoh and Queen can go back there and be set free?" Yugi says.

"Congratulations. You know what your task is."

~Ari~

"Stop playing games, Bakura!" Yami says, "If you know so much about the past and the Millennium Items, then what do you plan to do?"

Bakura merely smirks, "The three of us are the same, aren't we? We're all 5000 year old spirits longing to get a glimpse of our past."

"Stop stalling Bakura. If you won't answer that that answer this; what was your nature from that time?" I say.

"Like you, I have forgotten as well. But, I may be able to discover the truth within the World of Memories, I think that will be a fitting place for us to do battle."

"W-world of Memories?" Yami says.

"Ah Pharaoh, inside that messed-up mind of yours is the World of Memories. Think of it as a proper place for us to have a game of sorts. After all, you began this game, so it's only fitting that you end it."

"I guess the only way to get rid of you, is to accept your challenge."

"Good. Once the world is opened, our game will begin. I look forward to this. Enjoy your souls while you can, your Majesties."

Bakura begins to walk off in the other direction of the alleyway. "No doubt he'll follow us to Egypt." I say, "We should be careful of him."

"Yeah, but what does he mean by 'game'?" Yami says, "He said that I was the one who started the game; if he is from 5000 years ago, then he must've been able to recover more of his memory than we could."

I nod as we make our way back to the Game Shop.

~.~.~

~Sabrina~

I dig through my bag just to make sure I've got everything, more importantly my Duel Disk. Its early morning and our meeting with Bakura from last night still circles my head. _What does he plan to do? How does he know so much more than Yami and Ari do? _I just shrug and then walk over to my closet.

I throw my pajamas on my bed and start getting dressed. I put on a dark blue t-shirt, long black stretch pants, a short white vest, a light blue deck belt, my usual sneakers, and the Pendant. I brush out my hair and then wrap the burgundy part up into a bun. I take my pajamas, throw them into my bag, zip it up, and then walk downstairs.

Yugi wears his usual outfit and is holding his bag rather close to him. Grandpa also waits downstairs, and then we all get into a cab and head for the airport. In time, we finally make it there. The three of us step out of the cab, "You kids be careful in Egypt." Gramps says.

"Don't worry Grandpa, we will." Yugi says.

"And you promise you won't go looking for those tombs?"

"Yeah, we'll try our best." I say.

Yugi and I hug Grandpa goodbye and then start heading to where we're supposed to board the plane. "Hey Yugi! Sabrina! Will ya wait for us?"

We turn around to see Joey, Tristan, and Tea rushing toward us with suitcases. Joey wears a pair of jeans, a light blue t-shirt, and a cream-colored jacket. Tristan wears jeans, a white shirt, and a blue jacket. Tea wears a black tank top and a short red skirt. "Um, hey guys. What are you doing here?" I ask.

"What do ya think? We're going wit ya guys." Joey says.

"You guys don't have to do that." Yugi says.

"Of course we do! We're friends after all! And besides, we can't get our money back on the plane tickets." Tristan says.

"We just want to be there for you two, we know this is important." Tea says.

"Wow, you guys are awesome!" Yugi says.

"Well then, come on, we don't want to be late." I say.

We grab our bags and then head to the terminal. We get onto the plane, buckle up, and prepare for take-off. _I only hope we find what we need. _

**Before the rewrite of Ari's original story, she used to wear her hair in a bun, so I thought I should honor that by having Sabrina wear one. And here's the scoop for this season. PAY ATTENTION! Whenever I go to switch POV's between Sabrina and Ari, they're not going to be in the same body, so it'll follow two DIFFERENT plots. Got it? The plots will be different, just so nobody gets confused. Remember that. Okay, I'll shut up.**


	13. Opening Memories

~Sabrina~

We spend endless hours on the plane. I groan as I try to get myself comfortable. The intercom then turns on, "Attention passengers, we'll be landing shortly. Thank you for flying and please enjoy your stay in Cairo Egypt." The pilot says.

"Finally, we'll see land!" Joey says.

The plane finally lands and we grab our bags and then get off of the plane. The airport isn't all that crowded, which is pretty unusual for an airport. "Um, we've got time before the Ishtar's said they'd pick us up." Yugi says, "What do you want to do?"

"Oh, let's go shopping!" Tea says, "I need a souvenir!"

"Ugh, women." Joey says, "It's chow time for me, where's da nearest restaurant?"

"Joey, you just ate like ten bags of peanuts on that flight. How much longer are you going to stay hungry?" Tristan says.

"As long as it takes."

"Ugh, look, how about you guys go and fill Joey's stomach while I go shop." Tea says, "You should come with me, Sabrina."

"I guess?" I say.

"Okay, we'll meet you guys in the gift shop soon." Yugi says.

Tea and I nod and head toward the gift shop. There's a glass case near the door that holds some pretty interesting things in it, so we look at that first. Tea picks out a snow globe with a pyramid on it, and the 'snow' is made to look like sand. I look around at the case and see a silver necklace lying there. It's really simple, with a pendant on the chain that's completely blank, but looks as though something is meant to be there. "What's this?" I ask the man behind the counter.

"Oh, that's a nice piece there. It's a real cartouche." He says.

"What's a cartouche?"

"It's a special necklace that Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's used to wear. It was meant for engraving their names on it."

"There's not anything like that for Queens, were there?"

"No, sorry."

Well, it's at least something. "Alright, I'll take it."

I pay for the cartouche and slip it into my pocket just as the guys walk up to us. We walk through the airport and look around a bit. "Hey guys! Over here!"

We look in front of us to see Odion, Marik, and Ishizu standing a few feet in front of us. They wear the same outfits they did the last time we saw them, during Battle City. We rush up to them, "Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Yugi says.

"Yeah, there's so much to talk about." Marik says.

Ishizu then turns toward Yugi and I, "May I speak with the Queen and Pharaoh?" she asks.

~Ari~

"It's an honor to see you two again." Ishizu bows slightly, "We're so blessed to be your guides."

"The pleasure's ours." Yami says.

All of us then exit the airport and head to a jeep parked out in the parking lot. We throw our bags into the trunk and get it. Odion and Marik sit in front, while the rest of us sit in back. The gang starts filling everyone in on what's been happening lately. More specifically, the battle with Doma and the KC Grand Prix. We pass by a few pyramids, which gives me a sense of joy seeing that I'm back in my homeland. We soon arrive somewhere in the desert by a tomb-like entrance in the side of a canyon. All of us get out of the jeep, "Inside, is the Tablet of Lost Memories." Ishizu informs.

"You're to enter alone." Marik says, "Just hold up the Egyptian God Cards to the tablet, and your memories will be revealed."

"Right, we understand." Yami says.

"We can come with you two, right?" Tea asks.

"Of course." I say.

The five of us go through the entrance and head down a stairwell. The chamber is quite dark, but still well constructed. We reach the bottom of the stairs to enter a very small room. It's simple, with a few hieroglyphics on the walls and the stone tablet against the back wall. "Oh yeah, I just remembered something." I say. I reach into my pocket and pull out the cartouche Sabrina bought, "Here Yami, it's called a cartouche. I think Pharaoh's are supposed to wear them baring their names."

"Its blank though." He says taking it.

"That's the point. When our memories return, then you'll be able to put your name on it so you won't forget again. Hopefully, I'll be able to find something similar, maybe."

_"Thank you, Sabrina." Yami tells her._

_"No problem." She says._

Yami puts the cartouche around his neck and faces the tablet. I walk up next to him and face it as well. Yami reaches into his pocket and pulls out the three Egyptian God Cards. I grab his same hand holding the God Cards. He looks up at me and I nod. We face the God Cards toward the tablet and the Millennium Puzzle carved upon it begins to shimmer and glow. It's a rather blinding light and makes me squint to see anything.

I then feel myself leaving Sabrina's body and getting sucked into the tablet. I open my eyes fully to a portal-like area. I look over and notice Yami is right next to me, "Where are the Egyptian Gods taking us?" he asks.

~Sabrina~

"Whoa, what the heck just happened?" Joey says, "I thought I'd neva see again for a second there."

"Hey Pharaoh? Queen? You alright?" Tristan asks.

"They're gone." I say.

"Come again?" Joey says.

"The Pharaoh and Queen are gone. They're not inside the Items." Yugi says.

"They're correct." A voice says, "Both of them are in the World of Memories."

We look up to see Shadi then appear in front of us. "Huh? What are you doing here?" Yugi says.

"Hey, who is dis guy? He don't look trustworthy." Joey says.

"It's alright, Shadi's the guardian of the Millennium Items." I say.

~Ari~

_How much longer will this portal go on for? _It seems for like an eternity that we've been falling through here. The portal then begins to open up and reveals a light ahead. Yami and I fall into the light and stare in awe at everything around us. We're floating above Ancient Egypt. A light then forms around us and we're transported to a certain place there.

I open my eyes to find myself standing before a balcony. There's a crowd below that's cheering and I question what's going on. I look down at myself to see that my skin is tanner. I'm wearing a long elegant white dress with no sleeves, my hair is left down and goes about halfway down my back, the Pendant remains around my neck, and I'm smothered in golden jewelry around my arms, legs, across my chest, and a golden band around my head, that I'd imagine is like a crown of sorts.

I look to my right and notice a man standing next to me who also has tan skin. He wears short white robes, a long dark blue cape, the Millennium Puzzle, and is also smothered in golden jewelry in pretty much the same places I carry it, but he has a crown that blends in with his spiky hair. "Yami?" I say.

"Ari? Where are we?" he looks down at himself shocked as I am as what we look like.

A short old man then walks up to us wearing long white and blue robes, including a part that covers his face, "Your public awaits. Everyone across Egypt is anxious to see their new Pharaoh and Queen." He says.

"Did you say Pharaoh?" Yami says.

The man then nudges us onto the balcony to face the crowd. Everyone below then cheers louder. Yami waves one of his hands slightly, "Um… hi." He says.

I give a small wave as well. Everyone falls silent and bows down toward us. Yami and I just stare in shock at our surroundings for the next few minutes as everyone stays silent. "We've prepared a lovely ceremony for you two." The man says, "Might I suggest you enjoy the festivities."

He leads us through the Royal Palace (which I suppose this place is) and motions for us to enter one of the rooms. A curtain rises to reveal a large throne room. Everyone inside bows in a straight pathway right up to the throne. I stare in awe once again seeing this. "Ahem, my King, your throne is the giant gold chair in front of you. And my Queen, you're to stand by his side." The man addresses us again.

We walk through the pathway of people and reach the slightly elevated altar where the throne is. There are six other people who bow toward us on the altar and look a bit wealthier than anybody else here. Yami sits down on the throne and I just stand next to him on his left side. "All hail the new Pharaoh! May he and his Queen protect our land greatly!" the man says to everyone.

The six other people then look up toward us, "Kaiba?" I say, "And Ishizu?"

"And Grandpa?" Yami says looking to the man earlier who now has removed the cloth covering his face.

"Huh?" the man says. Yami doesn't respond, so the man just shrugs.

All of these people have a striking resemblance to our friends. "My Pharaoh," the Kaiba one says, "Are you feeling well? Should we postpone the celebration?"

"Uh, that won't be necessary." He says.

'Kaiba' nods and then stands up and faces everyone else in the room, "The time has come! Let us all welcome our new rulers to the throne of Egypt with the ceremonial festival!"

People start to play music and some dancers show up. "Hey," I say to Yami, "Have you noticed that those six people all hold Millennium Items?"

"My Queen, have you forgotten?" the man interrupts, "These are the Seven Priests that belong in the Pharaoh's secret court. I figured you should remember such a thing because you're one of them."

_I'm one of Yami's court members? _"Of course, I know that." I lie, "Um…"

"Shimon." He corrects.

I nod. The other Six Priests and Shimon then turn their attention to the celebration, instead of Yami and I. "Have we really gone back in time?" Yami asks, "Or is this some kind of mind trick? I mean, the people and everything are so real."

"I know." I say, "But maybe these people really did live 5000 years ago, or now, I guess. I mean, Kaiba always seemed to have a history with Egypt, and just look at his look-a-like over there."

"Yes, maybe."

"MAHAD! QUICK!" the Ishizu look-a-like shouts.

One of the Priests wearing white robes from head to toe then looks up and swings his white cloak to block something from hitting us. I look at the item on the ground and notice that it's some sort of dart. Everyone around the room begins to panic and some of the Royal Guards capture a man that I assume was shooting the dart. The man is then kneeled before us and held down by two of the guards. "We are in the midst of a sacred ceremony." The one called Mahad says, "How dare you commit such a crime on our Pharaoh! Take this man to the dungeon!"

"Not yet." 'Kaiba' says, "I have a better idea. Let us use this chance to demonstrate to the Pharaoh of our abilities. Won't you agree, Master Aknadin?"

An older man also wearing white and has the Millennium Eye nods. "Yes, let us begin the Millennium Trial of this man's soul!"

"Millennium Trial?" Yami questions.

"Yes, my King." Shimon says, "With the great power of the Millennium Items, we are able to harvest and look into the hearts of criminals."

"Thou shall now be judged by the Millennium Items!" one of the Priests shouts. "Shada will start."

The man named Shada then walks in front of the criminal. He's bald and holds the Millennium Key and seems to have a striking resemblance to Odion. "With the power of the Millennium Key, I shall read your mind." He says. He holds up the Key to the man and it begins to glow, "Yes, a Creature of Chaos lurks within him."

The man called Aknadin then steps forward, "I will now use the abilities of the Millennium Eye to extract the being from within your heart." He says. The Eye glows and then a dark aura that looks like smoke emerges from the criminal.

"What's happening to him?" I ask.

"The Creature of Chaos is to be extracted using the power of the Millennium Items. Once a creature is born within a person, they force that person to commit acts of evil. So, we seal the creatures away with stone tablets so their rampage may no longer continue." Shimon says just as two guards set up a tablet.

_Could those be related to the tablets used in ancient Shadow Games? _"Seto, it's your turn now." Aknadin says.

"Millennium Rod, cast this beast into the tablet!" Seto says.

The Creature of Chaos then is forced into the stone tablet and creates a carving upon it. "Could this be the origin of Duel Monsters?" Yami says.

"It mind as well be." I say.

~Sabrina~

"So, why are you here?" Yugi asks Shadi.

"The Pharaoh and Queen must relive their ancient pasts." He says, "It's the only way to fulfill their destiny. This is a gift, but also a curse. They will learn of their past, but they must also defeat the great evil from that time all over again."

"That's insane!" I say, "They don't even know what's happening around them! We've got to get them out of there."

You can't. Once they enter, they can't come out until they complete their task; beat the Ultimate Dark Game."

"You mean, you knew what they were getting into, and you didn't even tell them?" Joey says. He goes to grab Shadi, but his hand goes right through his body, "Nyeh! What are ya, a hologram or something?"

"No, I'm a centuries old spirit. My body was destroyed by a tomb robber named Bakura."

"Bakura?! Are you sure?" Yugi says.

Shadi nods, "He too is an ancient spirit from 5000 years ago. But he wishes to use the Millennium Items for evil. So he followed the Pharaoh and Queen into the World of Memories."

"What?! We have to get back to the past and help them!"

"There's only one way to do so. The doorway lies within the Puzzle and Pendant. I will guide you through the labyrinth."

**Yeah, I did the cartouche thing like that. I'm pressed for time, so I'll shut up now. **


	14. Enemies Arrive

~Ari~

The guards carry the criminal out of the room, along with the stone tablet. Seto then turns to Mahad, "If I'm not mistaken, Palace Security is your responsibility." He says, "Perhaps you might wish to shed some light on tonight's events."

Mahad nods and then turn to face Yami, "Master Seto is right." He says bowing, "Please accept my apologizes Pharaoh. The Millennium Ring has been acting strangely lately, making it difficult to detect criminal activity. May I have your permission to raise security?"

"Um, yes, please do." Yami says.

Shimon then leans toward Yami, "My Pharaoh, might I suggest that we move on with the celebration?" he whispers.

"Are you crazy?" I blurt out, "He was nearly killed!"

"Yes, but if the Pharaoh shows his fear, then your followers might do the same. We must hide fear with laughter and joy."

"I suppose." Yami says.

"Wait!" 'Ishizu' says.

"What's the problem, Isis?" Aknadin asks.

"The Millennium Necklace senses as evil force approaching. He lies just before the Palace."

The Millennium Ring then begins to glow from around Mahad's neck, "Are you alright?" Aknadin asks.

"The Ring. It senses a great evil." Mahad says.

A guard then rushes into the room, only to be shot down and now lies before us. _What could be happening? _A man wearing a red robe then walks into the room. He bears riches around him, but still looks rather poor. "Who goes there?" Mahad says.

"Pardon me, but I'm afraid I wasn't on the guest list." The man says.

I instantly recognize that voice. "Bakura?" Yami and I say.

Bakura just smirks and walks closer. "What do you want from us?" Yami says.

"Is that anyway to speak to an old friend, Pharaoh? I thought you'd be smart enough to know what I need to acquire by now."

"The Millennium Items!"

"So, you have been paying attention. Good."

~Sabrina~

"So let me get this straight. We have to go inside the Puzzle and Pendant and look for the doorway to the World of Memories?" Yugi says.

"Yes, but both labyrinths will combine as we try to enter it." Shadi says, "It will be twice as difficult to navigate, but I shall lead you through it. And when you wish to return here, you'll be on your own."

"I guess that's how it's going to be. Now let's go." I say.

"Yeah!" the rest of the gang says.

"Guys, maybe Sabrina and I should do this alone." Yugi says, "It's our job to ensure the Pharaoh and Queen are safe, and we've put you through enough trouble over all this time."

"You should know by now that it takes more than words ta get rid of us, Yug'. We'll all go." Joey says.

Yugi sighs, "Fine."

"Okay, everyone join hands." Shadi says, "We must focus our energy." All of us grab hands and form a circle. "Millennium Key, by using thy power, guide us through the labyrinth of the Pharaoh and Queen's souls."

The Millennium Puzzle and Pendant begin to glow, leading us into their minds.

~Ari~

"I hope I didn't spoil anyone's celebration, did I?" Bakura says laughing.

"Your mockery will not be allowed in the presence of our Pharaoh, and for that you shall be punished!" Seto says.

"Nonsense! I reside in the outskirts of your kingdom, so therefore your laws do not apply to me. Now give me your Millennium Items, and if you won't do so willingly, then perhaps a trade shall do." Bakura then tosses tons of golden ornaments to the ground in front of the other Six Priests.

"You've stolen those! How dare you!" Aknadin says.

"I assumed that wouldn't be enough, so I've brought something else." Bakura then whistles, causing a horse to run into the room with something tied to the back of it. It swings around and tosses the huge item, so it lands under Bakura's foot, "Say hello to your previous Pharaoh!"

Now that I look at the item, I can tell it's a sarcophagus that was equipped with gold and many jewels. _Wait, previous Pharaoh? Wouldn't that make him Yami's father? _"Bakura, you've taken this matter too far!" Yami says, "You shall now be judged by the Millennium Items!"

"Yes, guards, bring us a sealing tablet at once! Begin the Millennium Trial!" Seto announces.

They bring forth a tablet next to Bakura, making him smirk once again. "Hold on!" the man with the Scale says.

"What is it Karim?" Shada asks.

"The Millennium Scale is unable to find balance within him. The evil within his heart is immeasurable." Karim says.

"Yes," Aknadin says, "The Millennium Eye cannot pierce through the darkness within him. A great evil force is inside of him, one that he can control."

"Millennium Key! Show me the beast within!" Shada says. The Key starts to glow and then ceases, and Shada has sweat forming on his brow, "That is no ordinary beast; it's the most powerful being I've ever witnessed. That sealing tablet is far too small."

"Impossible!" Seto says.

Bakura just laughs as an evil aura forms around him, along with a blinding light. A giant beast then stands before him; it's a light grey and looks well built, has small wings, and its legs are replaced by a snake. "Let me introduce him; this is Diabound." Bakura says, "Say hello to your death everyone."

"Not a chance!" Seto exclaims, "Millennium Rod, activate!" The Rod sends a white light toward Diabound and sends it into the sealing tablet. The carving of Diabound then appears upon the tablet. "Just as I thought, that beast wasn't so tough after all."

"Hahaha… You Priests are so dense." Bakura says, "Certainly you would know a powerful beast when you see one." Diabound's tablet begins to crack and it bursts to pieces; setting it free. "Looks like you've lost the game even before it began!"

~Sabrina~

"Yug', come on get up." I hear Joey say.

I open my eyes and look to see all of us are lying on the ground somewhere. Joey and I seem to be the only ones awake so far. Yugi then bolts upward, "Whoa, everyone alright?" he asks.

Joey nods and then turns toward Tristan and Tea, "Alright guys, get up, ya can sleep later." He says shaking them.

"Ugh, where are we?" Tea groans.

"We're inside the Pharaoh and Queen's minds." Yugi says.

I now notice the huge labyrinth of doorways and stairs surrounding us. "That explains why it looks larger than Ari's mind, because it's both of theirs." I say

Shadi then appears in front of us, "Their minds represent the confusion within them." He says, "But be warned, it is ever-changing."

"Come on then, let's start looking." I say.

~Ari~

"Six Priests, combine our strengths to defeat this beast!" Aknadin says.

"Right!"

There's a golden armband on their left arm and it then releases a sort of plate-like disk on the edge of it. "You have Duel Disks?" Yami says.

"What's a Duel Disk?" Shimon wonders.

"Uh…"

I look at my own arm to notice that I have one as well, and so does Yami. "Oh, the DiaDhank." Shimon says, "It's a device used to summon Creatures of Chaos. Once a creature is sealed within a tablet, it's placed within a tablet sanctuary until somebody summons them."

"Then this is exactly like Duel Monsters." I tell Yami.

"Six Priests, we must work together to defeat this beast." Shada says.

"Nonsense!" Seto says, "I shall defeat this creature on my own! Now come forth, Galestgoras!" a small carving of the monster appears on his DiaDhank and then the beast (which is a tan dragon) appears. "Galestgoras, finish his Diabound!"

"Winged Sage Falcos, come forth!" Bakura says. A bright light appears and a bird-like man creature appears. It attacks and destroys Galestgoras.

"Impossible!" Seto says, "Only those of the Six Priests can summon monsters. How did you summon it?"

"Have you forgotten that I paid a visit to your old Pharaoh's tomb?" Bakura says, "And I was able to grab some useful toys, like this!" he lifts his sleeve to reveal his own DiaDhank, "Now your former King's collection of monsters belong to me!"

"You dare to disturb the protectors of the great King Aknamkanon?!" Aknadin says, "Those creatures were placed there to safeguard his tomb!"

"So what! Your former King was a tyrant! He destroyed my village when he attempted to fashion the eight Millennium Items! And a selfish attempt to further his own power!"

_So the previous Pharaoh created the Millennium Items? And he was after power? _I shake my head, realizing that I shouldn't listen to what Bakura says, no matter how much he knows of the ancient past. "You lie!" Aknadin says, "King Aknamkanon put an end to the wards throughout Egypt! He brought only peace to our land! He only created the eight Items so the peace and safety of the kingdom could live on forever!"

"Peace? No, I don't think so." Bakura says, "The Millennium Items were made to react with the inner darkness within the user. And if a person so happens to bring all eight Items to Kul Elna, where the Tablet of the Dead lies, that person shall gain the powers of the Realm of the Dead."

"Let this battle continue!" Seto says, "Come forth, Battle Ox!"

"Bastet!" Karim summons.

"Spiria!" with Isis.

"Zelua!"with Shada.

Aknadin with, "Gadius!"

"Illusion Magician!" Mahad finishes. All of the monster appears before us, "Illusion Magician, attack!"

Illusion Magician destroys Winged Sage Falcos. "You'll have to do better than that!" Bakura says, "Diabound, finish them!"

The attack destroys all of the monsters other than Illusion Magician, Spiria, and Battle Ox. "I summon Mystic Horseman!" Seto calls.

"With the power of the Millennium Scale, I fuse the spirits of Battle Ox and Mystic Horseman to form the Rabid Horseman!" Karim says.

_Could this be the origin of monster fusion? _ "Now attack his Diabound!" Seto commands.

Rabid Horseman goes to attack Diabound, but it grabs a hold of it. Mahad takes the chance to use Illusion Magician to send some sort of seal around Diabound, which reminds me a lot of Spellbinding Circle. Diabound is immobilized but soon breaks free and ends up destroying the remaining monsters in the process and the Priests fall over.

This is just horrible to watch. We can't let Bakura just stay here and overpower us. If I can control a Duel Disk, then I should be able to control a DiaDhank. I immediately start walking forward and stand next to the other Six Priests, "Divine Queen, come forth!" I shout.

I don't even know if it's a monster available to me, but I suppose it is. A bright light appears from my DiaDhank and a small carving appears on it as Divine Queen shows up next to me. "My Queen, what are you doing? We cannot let you endanger yourself!" Seto says.

"I'm trying to do something productive, Seto." I say. It's hard not saying 'Kaiba' to that face, "Divine Queen, attack Diabound now!"

"Diabound, counterattack!" Bakura commands.

Diabound sends a blast toward Divine Queen, but she deflects the hit. She sends a blast of her own toward Diabound, which hits, but it doesn't look too damaged. It then charges up another, presumably powerful, attack and launches it. Divine Queen goes to dodge it, but she's eventually destroyed by the blast. The force of it sends me backwards, but I manage to get up into a sitting position.

Yami then rushes up to me, "Are you alright?" he asks.

"I'm fine." I say. He offers to help me up, but I get up on my own.

Yami then stands and faces Bakura, "Bakura! This battle will end now!" he shouts.

"Pharaoh, please let us face this intruder for you!" Seto says.

Yami just ignores him, "So Bakura, is this the game you spoke of earlier? This game is far more twisted than you made it out to be; tarnishing sacred ground, harming the innocent, and spitting in the name of my ancestors! That's just pathetic, and you've reached a new low, even for your standards."

"Oh please, Pharaoh." Bakura says, "All of the sudden you know about your ancestors? Admit it, you know nothing, that memory of yours is just a fog to you. But perhaps, this could help clear it up." He kicks the sarcophagus of Aknamkanon so it sits directly in front of us.

Shimon then runs up to the sarcophagus and leans over it, "Oh, King Aknamkanon, I never knew that your return to us would be so disgraceful!" he says, "I'm so sorry that you have to see this Pharaoh. That man has ruined your legacy by spitting lies to us, you mustn't listen to him!"

Yami kneels down and leans over the sarcophagus. I stand behind him, but peer and lean toward it also. Even though the former Pharaoh is dead, so some reason, I can feel some sort of energy coming from it. I then hear Yami mutter something, "The Egyptian Gods…?"

_Did he hear something from the sarcophagus?_ "Yes, yes, Pharaoh, we all know that your father and you have some catching up to do, but I have a battle to finish!" Bakura interrupts, "And you stepped in at the best part, the one where I turn you and your staff into a pile of bodies! Diabound, finish them off!"

Yami then stands back up, "Stop there Bakura!" he shouts, "Allow me to remind you that I can summon monsters as well, and the Egyptian Gods to be more specific! In the name of Egypt, I call upon the mighty Obelisk the Tormentor!" A blinding light shoots into the room and Obelisk appears among it. "Obelisk, finish this battle!

"Diabound, counterattack with the power of Blue-Eyes!"

**I'm just going episode by episode, no parts together or anything. And I had the biggest spazz attack ever once Obelisk was summoned, I like screamed 'F yeah!' and then started breathing and laughing really rapidly and scared my cat. And anyone want to see the gang visit the Valley of the Queens? I thought maybe they could find Ari's real name there.**


	15. Reintroductions

~Ari~

Obelisk and Diabound's attacks almost seem equal in power. Both blasts hit each other with equal force and stay locked in that position. The blasts then blow up, causing both monsters to get pushed back and then return to their owner's DiaDhanks. "This game isn't over, Pharaoh!" Bakura says. He then turns toward Mahad, "And you, don't get too attached to that Item around your neck, for the Ring is destined to be mine."

"You lie, thief." Mahad says, "This Item was created for _me _to wield it."

"So you say, but in fact, all of your Items will be mine. But for now, I shall take my leave."

Bakura gets back onto his horse and then rides down the hallway. "Don't let him escape! Guards, after him!" Aknadin shouts.

Before I know it, I'm running. I run down the hallways, but I'm not fast enough to full-on chase after Bakura. Instead, I find myself up at the main balcony, where we were earlier today, and look out at the kingdom. I glance over to see that Yami ran after me and now stands next to me. I look out and notice that the city below is shrouded in flames and panicking.

I glance over and notice Bakura's horse jumping down from a wall past the royal guards. He rides off through the city with a few other men (who I assume are his followers) behind him. Yami's head moves out of the corner of my eye, so I look over at him. He looks straight up at the sky, so I follow his gaze to see a giant gold pyramid surrounded by black clouds floating in the sky. "Shimon, tell me," Yami says, "What is that pyramid doing in the sky?"

Mahad stands next to Shimon and both of them look up at it, "I'm sorry, Pharaoh. I don't see anything." Shimon says.

"But it's right there!" I say, "It's huge, how can you not see it?"

"Um, maybe both of you should head inside." Mahad says, "It's been a long day."

_Why can't they see it? Does it have something to do with us going back in time? Or with Bakura's game he speaks about? _ "My Pharaoh,"

We turn around to see Aknadin and Seto stand there, "Your bravery was glorious today, thanks to you, we may rest well." Seto says.

If only Kaiba could see his past self acting this way toward us. I'm sure he'd be disgusted none the less, but maybe it could also clear his head about the matter. Everyone else leaves the balcony after a few minutes, leaving just Yami and I here. I wonder what Sabrina and the rest of the gang are doing now. I'd imagine they're worried about us leaving so suddenly, but I'm sure they understand.

I look at Yami to see him take the cartouche from around his neck and look at it. The necklace is still blank. I sigh and just stare back up at the pyramid in the sky.

~Sabrina~

"Ugh, this place looks exactly the same no matter where we go." Tristan says.

"I know. It almost seems impossible." I say.

"And even the doors have more doors inside of them." Joey says opening another to reveal twenty more.

"Hey guys, either my watch doesn't work, or time doesn't pass in this place." Tea says staring at her watch.

"Man, this place is giving me the creeps now. If we don't find those two soon, I'm going to like die." Tristan says.

Joey then points to one of the doors in front of us, "That's da one!" he exclaims, "I may not have one of dose Millennium whatevers, but I do have instinct."

Joey then charges toward the door, with Tristan behind him and Joey kicks it open. We watch as they run through it, only to see their bodies go downward. I hear their yells, but I hear them echo from above me. I look up and notice one of the doors on the top wall is open, and has Joey and Tristan hanging from the edge. "But how can they be up there and over there?" I ask seeing their hands on the door in front of us.

The two of them finally manage to get on stable ground and catch their breath. "Many of the chasms inside the labyrinth contain traps." Shadi adds.

"Do ya think ya could've mentioned dat earlier?!" Joey yells.

"Yeah, we almost smashed our skulls!" Tristan also yells.

We eventually keep walking through the maze. None of the doors show any sign of them being what we're looking for. Joey keeps muttering about what he calls a 'near death experience' and doesn't seem like he'll shut up anytime soon, while the rest of us stay quiet. "Hey, wait a minute guys." Tea says, "If Yugi and Sabrina are so close to the Pharaoh and Queen, then maybe if you concentrate hard enough, we'll find the door!"

"I suppose." Yugi says.

"It could be hard though." I say, "We can't sense them anymore now."

"Just try guys." Joey says.

I close my eyes and try to focus on the Pharaoh and Queen. I can't sense them, but maybe I eventually will. _Come on guys, you've got to hear us. _

~Ari~

"It's strange," Yami says, "it feels weird being around the Six Priests. I don't know if we're supposed to think of them as our friends, or just merely our servants."

"I know, I wish we knew more like Bakura claims he does." I say.

"Pardon me." Mahad says walking up to us. He gets onto one knee and bows toward us.

"How can we help you… um… Mahad?" Yami stutters.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I don't think it wise for you two to be here alone and exposed out here. It would be best if you went back inside the palace." Mahad says getting to his feet. "Especially after today's events."

"Yes, thank you Mahad."

The three of us head back into the insides of the palace. We head down a set of stairs by one of the interior walls and I notice a clay pot rattle as we pass it, "Did you guys hear that?" I say.

"Get behind me." Mahad says putting an arm in front of me.

Someone then jumps out from inside the pot. I get ready to defend myself if I need to, but once the person is in midair, I can tell it's a girl, an innocent one at that. She then lands on Yami and hugs him in a sort of 'more than friends' way. I feel my cheeks turning red, even though I'd expect the same to happen to Yami, but it doesn't. The girl has tan skin, bright green eyes, dark hair, and seems to look like an Egyptian version of Dark Magician Girl. "Mana!" Mahad says, "What are you doing?" he pulls her by her dress collar, so she's forced to let go of Yami, which makes me sigh in relief.

"What?" Mana says, "I'm not allowed to visit my oldest friend? Geez, I just miss him that's all. Ever since he became Pharaoh, we haven't talked at all."

"It's only been one day."

"Mana, we grew up together." Yami says. He says in more in the form of a question than a statement though.

"I know your Pharaoh, but you didn't forget me, did you?" she says, "After all these years of practicing magic and military arts together, I mean we're like siblings!"

"Yes, of course."

Mana then looks over at me, "Oh, I didn't see you there, Princess! I hope you're not like your husband and forget that we're _friends._"

"Uh, no." I lie.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not like the Prince."

Mahad scolds her, "Mana, in case you don't remember, he is already the Pharaoh. Now apologize to the Prince."

Mana giggles, "Looks like I'm not the only one who can't break the habit!"

A smile lifts onto my face. These people are rather amusing and also seem pretty friendly. "Never mind, Mana." Mahad says, "How did you get past the guards, we've increased security for today."

"Well, my magic has been improving." She points to the bottom of the stairs where guards are just standing there unmoving.

"Do not tell me you used your immobilization spell."

"Um, maybe."

"Well, cancel it! We need these guards to protect the palace!"

"Alright, I release thee!" she points her finger into the air, causing a pink outline to form around the guards, but they stay frozen. "Uh oh."

"So your magic is improving, is it?"

"Uh, maybe I should try that again." A spell book then appears in front of her and she flips through it nervously. "Um, where it is? Ah, here it is?"

After that episode is over, Mahad leads us through the palace. We reach a quiet hallway and Mahad stops in front of one of the doors. Yami and I just blankly stare at him, which I suppose makes Mahad feel uncomfortable, "Um, your bedroom, your Majesties?" he says.

"Ah, oh, yes, of course. Thank you, Mahad." Yami says.

Mahad nods and then walks away. Yami opens the door to the room, to find it rather dark. There's hardly any light, but the moon offers light through the balcony in the back of the room. It's a quite simple room with just a large bed against one of the side walls, and a balcony on the back wall.

I look over to the wall across from the large bed and notice a crib against it. I wonder what it's for and then it hits me; I've totally forgotten that Ishizu told us so long ago that Yami and I had a daughter. I slowly walk over to the crib and peer into it. Yami seems to notice it as well and stands next to me, "I guess that is our daughter." He says.

The girl looks no more than a few weeks or even days old. I notice small bits of blond hair forming on her soft head, but she's sleeping, so we can't see her eyes. "I only wish we knew her name." I whisper.

Yami puts his arm around me and kisses my forehead, "I know."

He takes his arm off of me after a minute and goes to get ready for bed, but I continue staring at our daughter. It pains me a lot that I don't know the name of the girl I birthed during some time. Eventually, I walk away from the crib and look for something I can use as pajamas. I notice on the bed that there's a short white dress neatly laid out.

I change from the dress I'm wearing into the shorter one. I decide to leave the various jewelry around me on, but remove my shoes. Yami keeps his jewelry on also, but removes the top part of his robes and his cape. Both of us get into bed and fall asleep.

~.~.~

It's a blessing that this morning isn't as hectic as yesterday, so far. Our daughter started crying during the night, but whenever we woke up, a servant had already come into the room and was taking care of it. Apparently, there's always a servant watching her during the day, which is understandable. A while ago, Yami and I got dressed again and left the room

We decided to take a walk around the palace to try and find our way around it better. I grab Yami's hand as we walk around, trying to make note on where to go. The two of us reach an open area of the palace that looks like a garden, where Mana comes up to us, "Hi guys! Can I join you?" she says.

"Sure." Yami says.

We walk along the garden and Mana skips across the ledge of an elevated pond. "So is everything going to change between us now that you're all Pharaoh and Queen and all that?" Mana asks.

"It's a bit hard to remember the time before this." Yami says.

"You must have a lot on your mind then."

"Yes. But Mana, can I ask… what my name is?"

Mana looks confused, which I can understand, "Well, the Prince is obviously the Prince! Ah! No! Its Pharaoh now, isn't it? So, the Pharaoh is the Pharaoh, but the Prince is the Pharaoh and…"

"Never mind." I tell her.

Yami and I head back to the throne room, while Mana goes to study her magic. Yami sits upon his throne, while I stand next to him. The Six Priests then walk into the room. Mahad steps forward and bows toward us, "My King, as we speak, we are currently making preparations to return King Aknamkanon to his tomb. Rest assured, it shall never be disturbed again. My magicians are currently working on a sealing spell." He says.

Yami nods, "Excellent." He says.

"I'll be the judge of how good that tomb is sealed." Seto says smugly, "After all, we all know of what your magicians-in- training are capable of. And by that, I mean nothing at all."

"That's enough, Seto." Shimon says.

We head out to the balcony and watch as Mahad and some of his magicians depart for the tomb. They pull along a wagon that contains a sealing tablet on it. Shimon is currently holding back Mana, "But Mahad, let me go with you!" She shouts at him below.

"It's too dangerous for you Mana, you are only a student." Shimon says dragging her away from the edge of the balcony.

"But I'm his best student! I want to be there with him!"

"Mahad is probably the strongest magician in the entire world. He can handle his own."

I don't know why, but I feel a sense of doubt, but also truth, in that last sentence.

**Those Mana scenes really annoyed me. There's too much shipping between her and Yami, it makes things awkward. And there's your little glimpse as their daughter. And I don't know why, but I feel some people might imagine more when Yami and Ari were sleeping, if ya know what I mean. But hey, I'm not one to judge. **


	16. A Priest's Sacrifice

~Ari~

I wake with a start and sweat is running down my face. I look over to my left to see that Yami isn't there. The sky is dark outside, but the moon still offers much light. I get out of bed and walk over to the balcony. I'm careful to walk quiet, so I don't disturb my daughter. Yami stands on the balcony looking up at the pyramid in the sky. "Is there a reason you're awake?" I ask walking up to him.

"I sense that something bad has happened to one of the Priests." He says.

"I know. I can sense it too."

Off in the distance, we can see eight wedge-shaped shrines. Shimon informed us that their supposed to represent one for each of the Seven Priests (including myself) and Yami. They're rather simple, but also are very well constructed. One of them starts flashing, "Is that Mahad's shrine?" Yami asks.

"I believe so." I say.

"He must be in danger. I'm going there to see if I can get answers."

"I'll come with you."

"Are you sure? It could be dangerous."

"When has any of this not been dangerous? We're never going to escape from it until Bakura's gone."

Yami leans toward me and kisses me, "I know, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm fine."

He nods and the two of us quickly get dressed and exit our room. We head to one of the various exits to the palace and go to the shrine. We push the doors open and walk inside. The place is lit up with torches and has stone tablets covering all of the walls. There's a staircase leading up to an elevated platform, where you can get a better look at the tablets. On the back wall however, is the same carving of the Millennium Puzzle and the Egyptian Gods around it as on the Tablet of Lost Memories.

The two of us walk up the stairs and then notice someone on the platform, "Mana? Why are you here?" Yami asks.

"Oh, hi." She says, "This probably sounds weird, but I had this weird dream that Mahad was in danger. I came here hoping I could find out why, or somehow do something."

"We had the same dream." Yami says looking at me.

One of the tablets along the wall starts flashing, "Is that his Illusion Magician?" I ask.

"Yeah, it looks like its losing energy. Ah! It cracked!" Mana says. "It's connected with Mahad's heart, so if it dies, but so does he."

"But what can we do?" Yami asks.

~Sabrina~

Yugi and I still can't sense Ari or Yami from here. So we kept walking and now we're sideways, upside-down, upright, and any other way that walls lead you. This place probably defies gravity even more than space itself does. "Hey Pharaoh! Queen! You out there?" Tristan says walking sideways.

"AW NO!" Joey shouts.

"What's wrong Joey?" I shout back.

All of us manage to get right side up where Joey is and walk over to him. There's a door in front of him with a weird looking smiley face on it done in red. "Um, you called us here to report graffiti?" Tea asks.

"Um, hello?" Joey says holding out a red marker in his hand, "I marked dat door earlier so we knew we already went past here!"

"Oh, good idea Joey!" Yugi says.

"Yeah, who knew you could use your brain for once?" Tea says.

We look around to notice the doors around it are also marked in smiley faces. We keep walking and Joey continues to mark the doors. We don't bother to look into them, or else Shadi would say it's the right door. For now, he says they're all traps. Joey starts pounding on one of the doors he marked, "Ugh, we'll never find dat door!" he yells. "Not if we keep walking in circles!"

I look around and then notice another door behind us. I get a strange feeling coming from it. I walk up to it and just stare at it. I'm not sure if the Memory World is behind it, but its calling me to it. Yugi then walks up next to me, "You sense it too, right Yugi?" I ask.

"Yeah." He says.

"Hey, what are ya guys lookin' at dat door for?" Joey asks. The rest of the gang notice this and walks over to us.

"I don't know, but something is on the other side."

Yugi reaches for the door handle and _clicks _it open. He pushes the door and the room inside is dark, with only the light from the doorway to light it. A spotlight then appears in the middle of the room and someone stands there with their back facing us. He then turns around and it's revealed to be Ryou Bakura, "Hey Bakura, what're you doing here?" Yugi asks.

His eyes then narrow and his face turns into a smirk. I instantly know it's the evil Bakura. "Ah! What's _he _doin here?" Joey says.

Bakura begins to laugh and then fully turn toward us. His eyes then widen and he shakes like he's being possessed or something. He yells and then turns into some sort of monster, or merely just a dragon head. The rest of its body of huge, but is shadowed so we can't see it. The dragon begins to shoot flames out of its mouth at us, so I immediately step away from the door as they shoot toward us. All of us fall to the ground a distance away from the doorway as the flames cover the doorway.

I look up once again to see that the flames are gone. We get back up to our feet and reenter the room. "Huh? It's gone." Yugi says.

The room isn't even a room anymore; it just leads to more of the labyrinth. "What was that thing?" I ask.

Shadi walks up to us, "That was the Pharaoh's true enemy." He says.

_Bakura's his true enemy? Or is it something more than that?_

~Ari~

Yami and I ride on horses through the desert. Mana sits behind Yami as we search for Mahad. "Where could Mahad be?" Mana asks.

"Don't worry; we just need to look for some sort of sign." Yami says.

A flash of blue lightning then appears off to our right over a few dunes of sand. "Like that." I say.

"Mana, I've forgotten, what lies beyond those hills?"

"Oh, that's the Magician's Training Grounds. But why would Mahad be there?" Mana says.

"We'll just have to find out."

We keep riding off in that direction. The lightning continues to strike in the one area and I wonder what it represents. We eventually reach the Training Grounds which is in a canyon. There, are a small group of Egyptian soldiers and cloaked figures with demonic glowing red eyes. I recognize them as Bakura's followers. We ride up to the figures and Yami grabs a sword stuck into the ground and fights off most of them. I ride up to one of the palace soldiers, "Where's Mahad at?" I ask.

"He's battling Bakura, my Queen." The man says.

Yami then rides up next to me and hears this, "Inside the cave?" he says. The soldier nods. The cave entrance is completely blocked off by boulders, so there's no way for any of us to get in or out. "We must send word to the other Priests."

"Oh, I know!" Mana says. She whistles and then a falcon swoops down on her shoulder. She grabs a piece of paper, quickly scribbles something down on it and hands it to the falcon, "Take this to the palace!"

The falcon then flies off again in the direction of the palace. Mana jumps down from Yami's horse as he continues to fight off Bakura's followers. A feeling then comes over me. It has something to do with the Millennium Items, but I'm not sure what it is. Seconds later, the earth begins to shake as if an earthquake is happening, but I know it's more than that. I look over to see Bakura's followers fleeing the scene.

I look up to the top of the cave and notice a large stone tablet there. It begins to fall from the cave and hits the ground, causing dust to fly up all around us. I jump off of my horse to get a better view of the tablet as the dust clears. The carving upon it reminds me of the Dark Magician slightly. "No! Master Mahad!" Mana cries, "You can't die!"

She begins to cry in front of the tablet. I can still sense that Mahad is alive. _Does this mean he lives within the monster on the tablet? But… why?_

~Sabrina~

"Wait, do you guys feel that?" Yugi asks.

"The room just got cold…"

"It's as if sadness has covered this place." I say, sensing it as well.

"But… it's warm again now."

"Yes, this labyrinth is a reflection of the Pharaoh and Queen's hearts." Shadi says. "The temperature will change relating to their emotions. If you listen, and do so carefully, then you will hear them."

"Of course!" Yugi says, "After all this time, we kept thinking that we must locate them, when really they're right here with us!"

"Yes, you must listen with your heart, not your ears."

"Yeah, I bet if we all concentrate hard enough, then we'll hear dem!" Joey says.

We all put our hands on top of each other and concentrate. I do as Shadi says and try to listen with my heart and not my ears. I close my eyes and thinking of Ari and Yami as much as I possibly can. I try to imagine them inside the Memory World in Egypt. _"Yugi… Sabrina…" their voices say._

"You guys heard that too right?" I ask.

"We must be getting close!" Yugi says.

We go back to concentrating and their voices circle my head. _"Can you hear me…? Where are you…? Yugi… Sabrina…" _A white light forms around us and I can feel more of their presence.

**Yeah, sorry, I got lazy yesterday. And yep, I think I'm going absolutely crazy. You wanna know why? Well, watching season 5 has triggered my perfectionist mind to think more about that rewrite I did a while ago. So of course, my head thinks about how the entire thing lacks personality and development, so I feel a desperate need to rewrite it for like the third time. But don't worry, I _won't _write nothing with it until I finish this story, just so I'm not pressuring myself.**


	17. Realm Found

~Ari~

The sun starts rising in the sky and now sits there shining in our faces. Mana continues to sob next to the stone tablet, making it an even more depressing sight. I hear the noise of multiple horses approaching us and turn around to see the Six Priests jump off of their horses and stare at the tablet. "What has happened here?" Seto asks.

"I-I don't know. We arrived here when the tablet was blank and now it has a carving of that." I say pointing to it.

Yami walks up to the still-sobbing Mana and comforts her. She looks up toward him, "Please Pharaoh, you must use your magic to save him!" she pleads, "Tell me it's not too late!"

"Mana, Mahad is very much alive." Isis says. "In fact, he's even more powerful than ever."

"Huh?"

"My Millennium Necklace has shown me it. He fused his soul into the Illusion Magician. He has now been reborn and will be known as the Dark Magician."

"B-but my training isn't complete! How am I going to become a magician now?"

~Sabrina~

Part of one of the walls in front of us ended up collapsing and sunlight now fills the room. We walk up to the edge to reveal a huge city below with desert surrounding it on all sides. We must be hundreds of feet in the air though. "Wow, we found it; the World of Memories!" Yugi says excitedly.

"You are correct." Shadi says, "My work here is done. Now you all must continue on your own."

"What?! We have to figure dis out ourselves?" Joey says.

"I'm sorry, but only those called upon by the Pharaoh and Queen will be able to enter that realm. Now go, the land of Egypt is in need of your help. And good luck."

"Um, one question. How do we get down there?" Tea asks.

Yugi then jumps straight off of the edge and falls down below. "IS HE CRAZY?!" Joey yells.

"It's the only way. Besides, it can't be that bad." I say jumping off myself.

The rest of the gang jump shortly after (for I can hear them screaming). I can hear Yugi almost laughing all the way down as the air slaps my face. For me, it's certainly a rush of adrenaline, but I wouldn't laugh over it. It's exciting really.

~Ari~

We return to the palace and now stand in the throne room (with Yami on his throne of course). "Mahad was a fool for letting himself be destroyed in such a way. Now Bakura has the Millennium Ring in his claws." Seto says, "Unfortunately, it will take time to excavate the fallen cavern, so his fate is unknown."

"He could be alive." Shada says, "My Key senses him."

"What about you, Isis?" Shimons asks, "Can the Millennium Necklace see of his fate?"

"Sadly, I cannot." She says, "My vision has been clouded ever since he first arrived."

"On behalf of all of us, I apologize for these failures." Seto says, "Believe me, and I speak for all of us, we won't disappoint you again, your Majesties."

"In the time being, I shall try my best to figure out why my vision of Bakura has been clouded and to see if I may predict anything." Isis says.

"That's all we can ask." Yami says.

"My Pharaoh, if I may, I'd like to lead the hunt for Bakura." Seto says, "I shall deploy the army into the city and have them patrol the area. We'll seal this kingdom tightly to make sure he is found."

"Very well, proceed." Yami says.

~Sabrina~

Surprisingly, we all land perfectly on our feet; unharmed. I look around and notice the streets are crazy busy with Egyptians going around everywhere buying food and other goods. "Dang, how do these people not notice us yet?" Tristan says.

Yeah, with our modern-day appeal, these people should be crowding around us. "I'll take sure of dis." Joey says, "Hey folks! Look over here!" he shouts waving his arms around.

Again, nobody does anything. A woman then starts walking down the street, like she doesn't even notice us. The woman then walks straight through Joey, causing him to start jumping around and freaking out. "AH! THAT WOMAN IS A GHOST!" he shouts.

I look down at myself, "Hey, the Pendant is gone." I say.

"And so is the Puzzle." Yugi says. "But wait, if we're in Yami and Ari's memories, then no wonder people can't see us; none of us exist yet!"

"Does this mean that the two of them won't see us either?" Tea asks.

"It's hard to say." I say, "And the Puzzle and Pendant must be gone because they have them, not us."

"Yeah." Yugi says, "And if we want to know if they can see us, then we've got to go straight to the source."

Yugi points ahead to the royal palace about a mile away. We start running toward the palace, with still no one noticing us. We run probably about a quarter of a mile, before Joey starts his usual complaints, "Guys, let's take five." He says.

He falls onto his knees, which basically forces us to stop, "What's the problem, Joey?" I ask.

"I'm too hungry!" he whines, "I can't do anything when I'm _this_ hungry!"

Tristan then falls to his knees as well, "Aww… I'm hungry too. I would kill for something to eat!" he says.

"We don't even exist here, I doubt you guys will be able to even touch the food here." I say.

"UGH…!"

There's then a crunching sound off to our left and see a fat guy stuffing his face with various fruits. He wears all red and I turban on his head. "Um, that guy right there is devouring everythin' in sight. Why doesn't anyone notice him?" Joey says.

"Wait, does that mean…?" Yugi starts.

Joey and Tristan then get to their feet and shout at the man, "Hey, you got some for us?!"

The man turns around and has a frightened look on his face, "Ah! Help! I'm being attacked by hungry ghosts!" he shouts and begins to run away.

Joey and Tristan quickly chase after him and end up trying to tackle the guy. The man eats all the fruit in his plump arms and then runs in the opposite direction trying to avoid being tackled again. Tea moves her foot in front of the man, causing him to trip and then stumble into a crowd of people. But, he goes right through them. I walk up to the crowd as Joey and Tristan run past me, still looking for the guy, and pass right through the people. I walk through all of the people and their shouting toward the center.

In the middle of the crowd, a girl around sixteen lies on the ground. She has long white hair, but I can't see her eyes since she's unconscious. Among the shouts of people, I hear one phrase, "That girl is a witch!"

Witch? She doesn't look that harmful. Joey and Tristan start shouting back at the people and try to help the girl, but obviously none of them see us. "Okay, anybody got a plan?" Joey asks.

"What is this about?" a familiar voice asks.

_HOLY CRAP! _Standing before us is… Kaiba?! He wears white and blue robes and looks Egyptian and holds the Millennium Rod in his hand. "Master Seto," a bald man approaching him says, "Wait? What is this?" the Millennium Key is his hand begins to glow and the man begins to shake and falls to the ground.

"Shada?" The Kaiba, or Seto-guy, says.

"I've never felt such a powerful creature before. It must even be more powerful than Diabound!" the man named Shada says.

Seto stares long and hard at the girl and then turns toward some soldiers, "Guards! Bring this girl to the palace at once, and give her plenty of food and water!" he demands.

"Yes sir!"

"And the search for more criminals will continue!"

This causes the crowd to run screaming away from the scene. "No wonder Kaiba was on that tablet." I say.

"Yeah, I guess he works for the Pharaoh." Yugi says.

I smirk thinking of how Kaiba would react seeing himself serving Yami. A pair of guards picks up the girl and start carrying her away, "Not a word of this will be spoken to the Pharaoh." Seto says, "We needn't worry him."

They all start walking back toward the palace. "Hey, they're going to the palace!" Yugi says, "That could be our ticket to seeing Yami and Ari!"

"Then let's go!" I say.

We run chasing the group of guards and Seto. The group soon makes it to the palace, where they're opening the doors for them. "Dang, this palace is huge." Joey says.

"Um, guys, let's speed things up." I say.

They begin to close the doors to the palace, so we run even faster to catch up with them. The doors then end up closing right in front of us, "Ah! Now what?" Tea says.

Joey smirks, "No sweat. We can walk through anything." He then gets into a running position and runs full0force toward the door, only to be hit in the face by it. "What?! I don't get it! Are we invisible or what?"

"Perhaps I can help you."

We turn around to see that same fat guy from the market. "Hey, it's you!" Tristan says.

"Hello my friends!" the man says, "Bobasa got scared; not used to people seeing him! How about a snack?" Bobasa then holds out an ample amount of fruits and hands them to Joey and Tristan.

"So, if you're invisible, then how can you touch things? How did you get here? Who are you?" Tea asks.

"Um… I don't…" Bobasa then grabs a fruit from the pile he gave Joey and Tristan and eats it.

"So where are you from?" Tea asks.

"Tea! Shut up or he'll eat all of the fruit!" Joey yells.

I sigh as the others keep arguing. I hope we'll be able to get inside the palace sometime.

**I can't believe Bobasa is played by the voice of Son Goku (spoiler). I f-ing love this episode. Oh, and I'm not sure if I should include the later scenes where Yami and Bakura are sitting at the game table, I don't know, seems hard to keep switching from Ari at the tablet- Egyptian Ari- and Sabrina. ****Bit of a bad title, but time is against me.**


	18. Battle to the Death

~Ari~

The moon sits in the sky and Yami and I stand on the front balcony looking over the kingdom. "Did you feel that presence earlier?" I ask him, "It's like something was calling out to us."

"I did. I'm not sure what it was though. But now, the Puzzle senses an evil force nearby." Yami says.

I realize that the Pendant feels the same thing, "Bakura?"

"I don't know."

"Your Majesties!"

We spin around to see Shimon running this way, "What is it?" Yami asks.

"I've just received a report that a village along the Nile was recently attacked!" Shimon says.

Yami and I gasp, but I have an idea of who's responsible. A flash of light, along with a crashing sound then comes from behind us. I turn around to see one of the wedge shrines behind us has dust coming from it, "Whose shrine is that?" I ask.

"Aknadin's." Shimon states.

There's only one person capable of such an act. My eyes dart around that area and along the palace for signs of him. Ugh, I know he's here! My eyes then stop on a figure running across the roof of part of the palace. "It's Bakura!" I shout.

"Guards, after him!" Yami shouts at the guards below.

The guards struggle to go after him (they must be the densest guards I've ever seen) and then one of them gets shoved off of his horse, only to be stolen by Bakura. He rides toward the gates to the palace and the guards blocking his path are then obliterated in a flash of light. Only Diabound could do such a thing, but why couldn't I see it strike? Yami then runs off and moments later I see him riding on his own horse chasing Bakura. Diabound now hovers/flies above Bakura and continues to sabotage everything in their path.

Yami then holds out his DiaDhank and seconds later, Slifer the Sky Dragon appears. I continue to watch from the balcony as they ride toward the palace gates.

~Sabrina~

I wake up from a roaring crash. I immediately look around and see the palace gates have been broken down and dust covers the area. A man on a horse with a strange dark grey creature above him rides off. Following him on his own horse is, "There's the Pharaoh!" I shout to the others.

Following Yami is Slifer the Sky Dragon who looks even more massive than it does in Duel Monsters. "Whoa, that is a big-red dragon!" Bobasa exclaims.

"Um, I'm guessing those aren't holograms, right?" Tristan says.

"Who was he chasing?" Joey asks.

"Bakura…" Yugi says.

"Come on, we've got to help him!" I shout as we run in the direction they were heading.

~Ari~

Ugh, I can't just stand here and do nothing! I run past Shimon from the balcony and down to the stables and choose a random horse. I get onto it and ride off to where I last saw Yami and Bakura. They're a ways ahead of me, for I can see Slifer and Diabound battling on the far side of the city. I hear more horses behind me and notice the rest of the Priests have come to assist as well. I'm not sure what I'll be able to do in this situation, but I have to at least try.

Diabound then sends multiple blasts toward Slifer, which hit it directly. Slifer fires his 'Lightning Blast' attack toward Diabound and hits it directly, which seemed to have weakened it. Diabound appears next to Yami and goes for an attack, but Slifer counterattacks. Diabound charges up more blasts in its palms and fires them at the city, causing it to go up in flames. I can even smell the smoke from this distance. Diabound fires more attacks toward the citizens and the city, but Slifer tries to block all of them and gets hit himself. Slifer grabs Diabound by the tail and carries him into the sky and the two begin to battle at that height.

However, I blink and then Diabound is gone. _Can it turn invisible now?! _ I then notice up ahead, Yami taking off the Millennium Puzzle and holding it out to Bakura. _Is he seriously going to let him win? _Slifer then hovers over Bakura within strike range, while Diabound is within strike range of Yami. I've got to help him. I hold up my DiaDhank, "Divine Queen, attack Diabound now!" I shout as she appears.

Divine Queen charges up a blast in her palms and then fires it at Diabound's back. This causes him to paralyze and hover back over to Bakura. "Are you alright?" I ask Yami as I approach him.

Yami nods. The other Priests then show up behind us. Bakura then turns toward Diabound, "We're outnumbered! It's time to leave!" he says riding in the opposite direction of us. Diabound flies off and turns invisible once again.

"Come on, we need to go after him!" I say.

"No, it could lead to a trap." Yami says.

Seto turns to one of the soldiers behind him, "Captain, evacuate the members of the city into the palace at once." He says.

"Yes sir!"

~Sabrina~

Everyone from the city is running back toward the palace and being instructed to go there. The city is up in flames and even though we're invisible, the smoke still fills my lungs and making it even more difficult to run. "Man, what direction did the Pharaoh go in? I thought I might've saw da Queen too!" Joey says.

We all begin to look around for signs of them, "Look. Up there!" Yugi says. He points to Slifer flying off in other direction away from the city.

~Ari~

"Duos, come forth!" Seto calls.

"Helimai, help search for Bakura!" Karim says.

"You go too, Divine Queen." I say.

The three of them fly off to help Slifer in search of Bakura and Diabound. A purple energy attack then comes out of nowhere and destroys Helimai. Karim looks injured, but he soon regains himself. Yami then rides off again, so me and the Priests follow him. We ride a distance away from the city to where some canyons lie up ahead. I then spot Bakura standing on one of the cliff ledges, "Slifer, attack Bakura now!" Yami says.

We stop next to the canyon, but are separated by a large gap in the ground. "Diabound! Make yourself known!" Bakura shouts.

A purple energy blast charges up in the air and aims for Slifer. He goes to counterattack, but is paralyzed suddenly and the top of his being is completely sabotaged, with the rest of his blowing to bits. _How could Diabound overpower him like that? _Yami leans forward and clutches his chest in pain, "Are you alright?" I ask.

"I-I'll be fine…" he says.

"Erg… Divine Queen, attack now with your _Vortex of Light_ attack!" I command.

She charges up a blast in her palms and fires it, landing a direct hit. _Yes! _"Hahaha… you think you destroyed Diabound? You're not even close." Bakura smirks.

_What? _The monster Divine Queen attacked was a much smaller and considerably weaker creature, which now is destroyed. Yami starts muttering something, before he begins to fall over. In an instant, I jump off of my horse and try to catch him before he hits the ground, but I'm too late. I hold him in my arms, "Come on Yami, get up!" I say slightly shaking him.

"Pharaoh, you've got to wake up!"

~Sabrina~

Ari immediately looks up at us with shock written all over her face. "W-what are you guys doing here?" she asks.

"We're here to help you guys." Yugi says. He crouches down next to Yami, "Come on Pharaoh, get up."

"You guys shouldn't be here!" Ari says, "It's too dangerous, this is our battle!"

"We're a part of you guys." I say crouching next to her, "We had to come and help."

I look down and now notice that Yami is starting to open his eyes. He looks at Ari first and then notices the rest of us, "Y-Yugi? All of you shouldn't be here!" he says.

"We're a team, Pharaoh!" Yugi says. He grabs one of Yami's hands, "We've come too far to turn back."

Yami nods and his strength seems to be returning. He stands back up and then gets onto his horse again. Ari does the same.

~Ari~

"Bakura, your reign of terror ends now!" Yami shouts, "Prepare to face the wrath of the Gods! Come forth, Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The sun comes through the clouds even though its night and illuminates the area, making Diabound visible again. The Winged Dragon of Ra then emerges from the clouds in a fit of light and roars loudly. Bakura stares in shock at Ra and then looks to Yugi, Sabrina and the gang. "You fools, Diabound now wields the power of Slifer!" Bakura says, "Diabound, attack now!"

"Divine Queen, intercept!" I command.

Diabound's attack is intercepted and none of our creatures are harmed. "Great mighty god of the sun! Transform thyself into Egyptian God Phoenix!" Yami says. "Burn through the darkness!"

Ra turns into its Phoenix-mode and charges toward Diabound. It flies right through it, causing Diabound to go up in a fiery pit of flames. Bakura shouts in pain as his creature falls and burns on the ground. He falls off of his horse and I can see glimpses of smoke coming from his very skin. If Yugi, Sabrina and the others hadn't showed up, then I guess we'd never live this victory. "So, I'm guessing ya won, right?" Joey asks.

"Yes, Egypt is now safe. Thanks to all of you, this was possible." Yami says.

"You did all the work!" Yugi says.

Yugi and Yami shake hands, which triggers the rest of us to put our hands there also. We step back from each other, "Um, shouldn't we be able to do home now?" Sabrina asks.

Before we can answer, the ground starts shaking and a huge wind blows against our faces. _What could be happening now? _I look to Diabound's corpse to see it rising from the ground, Ra reversing its attack, and then emerging from the clouds. "Is time flowing backwards?!" I say.

~Sabrina~

My feet start losing their grip on the ground. Come on, I have to stay put! Time begins to flow to before Ra was summoned and when Egypt still lies in darkness. The wind only seems to get stronger now. My feet lose their footing on the ground and I start flying into the air. "ARI!" I shout.

"SABRINA!" she shouts back as the gang and I fly off back toward the city.

~Ari~

_What is Bakura doing?! _I look up again to see Divine Queen reversing her attack on the one smaller creature and watch as Slifer repairs itself from destruction. The attack then fires once again toward Slifer and blows away its top half, leaving the bottom to dissipate. Yami clutches his chest in pain again, but looks somewhat more stable than he did last time. I can hear Bakura's dark laughter off in the distance; so obviously, he's not dead like he was a moment ago.

~Sabrina~

"Is it just me, or did we run through here already?" Joey says.

We're back into the city, where everything is up in flames and smoke threatens to devour us. "It doesn't matter; we've got to keep going!" Yugi says.

~Ari~

"Divine Queen, attack Diabound now!" I command.

I can see it this time, so that gives me a clear strike. "Don't!" Yami yells.

Divine Queen fires her attack at Diabound, which is met by one of its own. Both attacks seem equal for a moment, but, before long, Diabound's attack quickly overpowers Divine Queen and blows her to bits. It feels like ice is running through my spine, but my heart is on fire. I clutch my body in pain and try to get the pain to subside, but it remains. I glance up to see Yami riding his horse slowly toward Bakura. "Diabound, kill the Pharaoh!" Bakura demands.

The blast hits the ground below Yami and he and his horse begin to fall into a precipice. "YAMI!" I scream.

I jump off of my horse and go to run to save him, but my body wobbles and slows me down. Karim and Seto then run in front of me and hold me back, "My Queen, you mustn't!" Seto warns, "Bakura will kill you!"

"I don't care!" I say shoving him off of me.

I look up to the precipice to see that Yami is hanging onto the ledge, but Bakura is standing right above him. _Please, don't let him let go!_ Bakura then reaches down to Yami and I continue to briskly (but yet slowly) walk up to Bakura, still in pain. It's starting to go away, but I still feel weak. Bakura then stomps onto the ground, "NO!" I shout as I watch Yami fall down the precipice.

Tears flow from my eyes and I fall onto my knees as I hear him yell as he falls. Everything then falls silent, except for the sound of my own sobbing. Seto then walks up to me, "My Queen, there is nothing we can do. We must return to the palace." He says, "The rule of Egypt is in your hands now."

_Bakura, you'll pay for this. _I merely nod and get back onto my horse.

~Sabrina~

The gang and I sit on the cliff, trying to see if there's a chance Yami survived. Bakura walks past us smirking with the Millennium Puzzle in hand. Tristan then stands up and turns to Bakura, "Bakura! This is for the Pharaoh!" he yells punching him across the face.

Bakura stumbles and then grabs Tristan by the throat. "Hey, let go of him!" Joey yells.

Bakura tosses Tristan onto Joey, "Fools, you're no match for us!" he says.

"Us?" I repeat.

We look up to see an army of cloaked men with glowing red eyes. If I could see their faces, I'd say they'd be grinning. Bobasa then appears behind Bakura, "Hurry, my friends! This way!" he says.

We run up to him and follow him. He leads up to an area below most of the rock, where we're hidden from the army. "The nerve of that guy!" Joey says, "Bakura won't know what hit him once I get my hands on 'im! But for now, we've got to find the Pharaoh!"

"But there's no way he could've survived that…" I say.

"But he's alive!" Yugi says, "Think about it, these are his memories, so he must still be alive!"

"Yugi, I'd hate to tell you but… these are Ari's memories too. She's still alive, so this part could be her memories and not the Pharaoh's."

Yugi stands back in shock upon hearing this and frowns. He then gives a determined look on his face, "I don't care! I can feel it in my heart; he's alive! Our bond won't be broken any time soon!"

~Ari~

The sun has already begun to rise. At the moment, I sit upon Yami's throne, since I'm in charge of Egypt now. Tears still sting my eyes, but have stopped falling, but threaten to do so at any moment. The Priests stand around the room in silence. A solider comes into the room and kneels before us, "My Queen, my apologizes, but we've been searching the kingdom for hours now, but there is still no sight of the Pharaoh." He says.

I merely nod. I don't dare to speak because I'm afraid of choking up and sobbing again. I want to believe Yami is dead, but something inside of me tells me otherwise. Seto does the speaking for me for the moment, "Even if you have to drain the Nile, I want him found! His Majesty still walks this earth and we will not stop until he is found!"

"Yes sir." The soldier soon leaves the room.

"Isis, will the Necklace show you anything?" Shimon asks.

"At the source of the Dark, a ripple on the water forms. But a second and third will form, bringing about misfortune and disaster." Isis says.

"Does this foresee the fate of the kingdom?"

"I fear so."

Without warning, the tears spill from my eyes once again. I'm now left sobbing… alone.

**Hoora. The constant POV switches were quite annoying, but also not so. I fangirled quite a bit during this episode. And that quote from Isis I got from the Japanese version, better than the English one if you ask me. Um, I was going to say something important, but I seemed to have forgotten. No doubt I'll remember right after I post this.**


	19. False Destruction

~Ari~

I drum my fingers along the armrest of the throne. My eyes are puffed up and red, so I rub them once again to cast away my sadness. I only wish Yami were here… No, I can't think of him and get depressed again. He would not want it to be that way. Shimon then leans toward me, "My Queen, do you think you should rest? The morning has taken quite a toll on you." He says.

He's right; the morning has been nothing but madness. Aside from losing Yami and me taking the throne, the whole morning has been nothing but constant reminders that they haven't found Yami. Everyone else has hope he's alive, but I'm not sure. I want to believe so, but that fall seemed impossible to come out alive afterwards. I turn toward Shimon, "No, I will stay here." I say. _He_ would want me to.

Shimon nods. Shada then rushes into the throne room and kneels before me, "My Queen, we're still searching for the Pharaoh, but there is no sign of him yet." He says, "But we won't stop searching."

I nod, "Thank you, Shada."

He bows and then exits the room. I continue to drum my fingers along the armrest and think. _How will I stop Bakura on my own? _I have the Priests, but they won't stand a chance due to the fate of Mahad. I don't have access to the Egyption Gods to stop Diabound. Well, I may be able to summon them, but I'm not sure how well I'll control them. Curse Bakura, he's too powerful.

I notice my hand is balled into a fist and it starting to hurt my hand, so I relax myself. _I only wish he could help me. _The Millennium Pendant from around my neck starts to flash and glow. It shows me an area of sparkling blue next to soft sand. _"M-my Puzzle." His voice circles my head, "How could I have lost it? I only wish that Bakura hasn't gotten to the others… and Ari."_

My eyes widen; Yami must be alive! I need to find him, wherever he is. I turn toward Shimon, "Shimon, I'm leaving." I say.

"Pardon?" he says.

"I'm going to search for my husband. I now have a sense he's alive. It's my job to find him."

"My Queen, what about the rule of the kingdom?"

"It will be fine. I will not be long… and I _will _return with him."

"Would you like the soldiers or Priests to accompany you?"

"No, I go alone."

I stand from the throne and exit the throne room. I head down to the stables and choose a horse and ride off.

~Sabrina~

"Pull harder guys!" Yugi encourages.

"Do not let go! I beg of you!" Bobasa says.

We finally manage to pull Bobasa up from the side of a cliff and he falls on top of us. I think my ribs just cracked; this guy weighs a TON! "Don't you have gyms in Egypt or somethin'?" Joey says as Bobasa gets off of us and lets us breathe.

Bobasa then runs away from us, "Hey, looky here!" he says.

"What now?" Tristan asks.

We stand on the other side of the cliff and look over a large and vast river, "The Nile River…" Bobasa says, "So cool, so refreshing!"

Yugi sighs, "We'll never find the Pharaoh at this rate." He says.

Joey smiles, "I gotta feeling he's along dis river, Yug'. I mean, come on, the guy needs food and water to survive, right?"

Yugi returns the smile, "Right!"

We slide down the cliff and stand before the river. I look over to our left and notice a girl standing about twenty feet away from us. "Hey, maybe that girl knows where he is." I say.

We walk up to the girl and I could have sworn I saw a fish fly around her. She falls to her knees and starts muttering something to herself. "Um, excuse us." I say, "Can you see us?"

She opens her eyes and looks at our reflection in the river. "I doubt it." Yugi says.

The girl then turns around. Whoa, talk about Dark Magician Girl! She then gives a shocked and weird look toward Yugi, "Ah! Pharaoh!" she says grabbing his hands, "What happened to you, my King? You shrunk! And you're wearing strange clothing…" she then looks up at me, "My Queen? You're all wearing weird clothing! Wha-?"

"Well, obviously she sees us. She must be like Bobasa." Tristan says.

"Looky, my friends!" speak of the devil. Bobasa runs up to us holding a fish in his hand.

"Hey, we're here lookin' for da Pharaoh, not lunch!" Joey says.

"But looky!" he turns around to reveal a blue cape across his back.

"No way-!" Yugi says.

"That's the Pharaoh's cape!" I finish.

We run up to Bobasa and Joey grabs the cape from him, "Where'd ya find dis?" he asks.

"It was floating in the Nile next to my lunch!" Bobasa says staring at his fish.

"There wasn't a person attached to it, was there?"

"No, just more fish!"

"Well, at least we found something of the Pharaoh's." Yugi says, "That means he's got to be around here somewhere!"

"But if you're not the Pharaoh, and you're not the Queen." The girl says, "Then this must mean he's missing!"

"We just said that." Tristan says.

"Err, sometimes it takes me a moment to figure this stuff out…"

"Will you help us look for him?" I ask, "If you know so much about him, then I assume you two are friends, correct?"

"He's my closest friend. Does this mean you're his friends also?"

"Yeah, all of us go way back. We're friends with the Queen too." Yugi says.

"Then why haven't I met you?"

The whiney of a horse then makes us pause. We turn around to see that same cloaked army Bakura had earlier. "I take it we're not going to get a warm welcome…" Tristan says.

"No, those guys are big trouble! If you are the Pharaoh's friends, then you're mine too!" the girl waves a wand in her hand and causes a tidal wave to come up from the river and drown the army within it. Whoa! "Now let's get out of here!"

~Ari~

I ride my horse across the desert. At this rate, I'll never find him. I keep moving and then stand atop a cliff. Down below, is a vast river that sparkles blue. I assume that this is the famous River Nile. Wait, sparkling blue? The vision showed me 'sparkling blue next to soft sand'. Of course! Yami must be around here! I guide my horse to slide down the cliff and stand by the Nile.

Where could he be? The Pendant flashes once again and senses something nearby. I cannot tell what or who it is, but it isn't Yami, I don't recognize this energy. It has a great deal of light within it and I sense loyalty as well. The Pendant seems to be guiding me in another direction.

I guide my horse to my left and slowly walk along the Nile, hoping to find something. The presence seems to get stronger and I notice a cave a few feet away. I jump off of my horse and slowly head for the cave, "Yami!" I shout.

I then hear a muffled grunt coming from the cave. My heart soars; I recognize that tone of voice anywhere. I run up to the cave and Yami slowly walks out of it. I hug him as tightly as I can, which causes him to almost fall over, for he is still injured. "A-Ari?" he says wrapping his arms around me, "How did you find me?"

I smile toward him and can feel my eyes starting to tear up again, "Y-you're alive! I've missed you so much! I love you…" I say leaning into his chest.

He lifts my face to meet his and he kisses me. "I love you as well."

~Sabrina~

"Man, that wave was awesome!" Yugi says, "I've never met a real magician before."

"Well, I'm only really half a magician." The girl says, "Considering not too many of my spells work."

Yugi smiles, "You know, back where we're from, we have this awesome game called Duel Monsters. I'm sure you've never heard of it, but there's a character in it called Dark Magician Girl. She looks exactly like you!"

"So, you're saying I'm a character?"

"Uh, not exactly. But Dark Magician Girl is really powerful and I bet if you keep practicing, you'll become just like her; maybe even better!"

"By the way, we never got your name." I say.

"It's Mana." She says, "But Dark Magician Girl sounds really cool! I'm going to vow to become just like her!"

I smile; the whole thing is rather ironic. "If you're so good at magic, then maybe you can conjure up some more lunch!" Bobasa says, "And don't go light on the…" he stops walking once we reach the edge of another cliff.

"Hey, watch it!" Joey says.

"Guys, look." I say. I point to the bottom of the cliff to see the two people we've been looking for all along.

"Pharaoh!" Yugi shouts.

The two of them below notice us and smile. We all slide down the cliff and run as fast as we can to greet them.

**The light presence was, um, actually, I ain't gonna spoil it. Figure it out yourselves. I had quite a bit of homework yesterday, so I didn't update then (even though I wanted to), but I'm here now.** **I was like internally sobbing earlier because I was reading some Japanese dialogue from this ep. and it was twenty billion times better than the 4Kids dub. Why 4Kids, why?**


	20. Origin Village

~Sabrina~

I sit down and watch as Mana and Bobasa run around and play with each other. They're a lot like children. Yami and Ari sit on the ground together, while the rest of us stand up. "So, we heard about Bakura being here." Yugi says, "He's the one you battled all those years ago?"

"Yes." Yami says, "And now he has the Puzzle; an item given to me by my father."

"Your father?" I say, "Does this mean you have your memories back?"

Yami shakes his head, "Only a mere fragment. Not enough to unlock every secret. It was of my father… a powerful leader who created the Millennium Items. But the Items have a dark side as well."

"So Bakura's trying to capture them in order to unlock some kind of dark force hidden within." Ari say. It sounded more like a question though.

Yami clenches his hand into a fist, "Now I have to do everything I can to stop him."

"Not quite, it's _our _job."

Yami nods. I then leans toward the two of them, "Oh yeah, did you find what your names are yet?"

Yami takes the cartouche from under his robes and shows it to everyone. "Nobody calls us by our real names." He says, "It's as if they don't even know it themselves."

Yami and Ari stand back up and look out over the Nile. Mana and Bobasa stop playing and walk over to us. Bobasa stands next to Yami and towers over him, "Um, who are you?" Yami asks.

"So you are the Pharaoh?" he asks, "Ah! Joyess day!" he puts his hand out to Yami.

"Uh, Pharaoh, Queen, this is Bobasa. He's been helping us find you; I guess we could call him a member of the gang now." Yugi says.

Yami shakes his hand and Ari does the same, "Pleasure to meet you. Thanks for watching out for them." Ari says taking a quick glance toward the rest of us.

"Ah, the pleasure is mine. It is not every day Bobasa gets to meet the Pharaoh and Queen of Egypt!"

~Ari~

I nod and then look up at the sky. It's clear blue with hardly any clouds in sight. A monster then flies over our heads. I nudge Yami on the shoulder, "Isn't that Isis' monster?" I ask.

He looks up and stares at it. "Pharaoh!"

We look over to see Shada and a small army of soldiers on horses coming toward us. I had almost forgotten that Yami had ever went missing. I notice Mana run and go hide behind Bobasa. Shada and the soldiers jump off of their horses and kneel before us, "My King we are grateful that you are alive. And also that the Queen has found you and is alright." Shada says.

"Yes, I'm sorry to have alarmed you." Yami says.

I guess Shada can't see the rest of the gang or Bobasa, because Joey starts waving his waves in front of Shada's face, but his expression remains unchanged. Shada stands up in a hurry, "YOU!" he shouts. "Mana!"

I turn around to see Mana trying to sneak away, "Oh, hi Shada. I didn't see you there." She says nervously.

"You knew his whereabouts all along?!"

"Maybe…" Mana says now hiding behind Yami and I.

"You should have informed us!"

I take a step forward, "Please Shada, it's not her fault. She was actually helping me look for him." I say. It's not exactly a lie, because half of it is true.

Shada nods, "Forgive me. But more importantly, we have found Bakura's hiding place."

"Excellent!" Yami says, "Where is he?"

"We've tracked him to a deserted village once known as Kul Elna."

Kul Elna. Bakura spoke of that village before; the one where the Millennium items were first created. I suppose it seems like a fitting place to end this battle. Yami walks over to the horse I took here and hops on it, while I jump up behind him. "Oh, let me come!" Mana says. She jumps onto Shada's horse.

Yami guides the horse so it stands in front of the gang. "Hey, we're comin' too!" Joey says.

"It's too dangerous. This 'game' that Bakura calls it, isn't fit for you all." Yami says.

"Yes, you should go back to the real world." I say, "Once this mess is over, we'll join you."

~Sabrina~

The two, along with the small army, then run off. I hate this. The two of them are treating us like helpless children. "Those two need our help more than they know." Joey says.

"Us? Joey we can't even touch anything here, so what can we do?" Tristan asks.

"Joey's right. They would never give up on us, so we won't either! We've gone too far to give up!" Yugi says.

~Ari~

The village must not be far from the Nile, because within about ten minutes, Shada tells us it should be just ahead. We ride through the bottom of a canyon and up ahead lies a village, or what once was a village. We enter the village and slowly walk through it. The place looks horrible; the houses are all destroyed, there's quite a few skeletons lying around, and a coating of dust hovering the area doesn't make it feel any less mysterious. "I was told this village was once filled with criminals and tomb robbers, but one day, they just vanished." Shada informs.

_Could Bakura's story about the massacre be true? _It fits, but it doesn't make sense. I can feel an evil presence around this village; one that has a sort of lust in it. "Um… h-how about we just leave a note for Bakura and ask him to meet us somewhere else?" Mana says. "A-anyone with me?"

Nobody answers. My grip on Yami's shoulders starts to tighten because this place is starting to creep me out as well. He glances toward me, so I try to loosen my grip, but I'm pretty sure it's locked at this point. "AAAAHH!"

We turn around to see one of the soldiers fall off of his horse and hit the ground. Skeleton arms rise from the ground and threaten to break his neck. We watch as a whole army of skeletons rise from the ground, wielding swords and other weapons. My grip tightens even further as the undead army slowly approaches us. The soldiers and Shada jump off of their horses and fight off most of the army, but they just keep coming back.

Mana stays put on her horse and has tears in her eyes at this point. Her facial expression changes dramatically and seems like she had some sort of realization. Mana jumps off of the horse and brings out her wand and starts to fight off the army as well. Shada raises his DiaDhank into the air, "Two-Headed Jackal Warrior! Attack!" he shouts. His monster appears and starts slaying every skeleton in its path. "We will fight. You two find Bakura."

Yami nods, "Good luck."

Yami guides the horse along through the village. The place is nothing but rubble, but yet, it seems nearly impossible to hide in it. The horse stops next to a staircase leading into the ground, "I have a feeling Bakura is down there." Yami says. We jump off of the horse and just stare at it. The Pendant senses even more of a dark and mysterious presence there. Yami looks over at me, "Are you sure you shouldn't wait out here?"

"I'm going. You're not going alone to face Bakura." I say already starting to walk down the steps.

Yami quickly follows me and then moves in front of me as we keep walking down them. We reach the end of the stairs to find a dark tomb-like chamber. Pillars are neatly aligned on each side of the chamber, but it's too dark to see the dark of it. "Bakura, I know you're in here." Yami's voice echoes across the walls.

"Hahaha…" the darkness says back in a familiar tone, "I must say Pharaoh; I'm surprised you had the courage to dwell here. Your father didn't even have the guts to come here. But, that makes him a wiser man than you."

Out of the darkness, a torch lights in the back of the chamber and Bakura takes a step toward us. Around his neck are the Ring and the Puzzle. "And you've survived death." Bakura continues, "Well, that won't happen twice."

"Enough talk, Bakura." Yami says, "Let's duel!"

"Yes, but how about some story time first? As you can see behind me lies the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead, and slots for each of the eight Millennium Items fit there as well. And this stone is guarded by the very souls of those killed to create the Items! Your father destroyed this village and now they seek revenge. The Items were created by their very blood and your father used the Items in a selfish attempt to further his own power. You might wonder where I got this information; I have it because I was the only one who survived! Now spirits, you may kill him."

My eyes widen as spirit-like creatures appear from behind Bakura. The spirits circle around us and then attack. Yami yells in pain and falls to his knees. The spirits go around me, but I am unharmed. _Why don't I feel any pain? _I look down at myself and notice the Pendant shimmering; of course. I go to remove the Pendant and give it to Yami, but then his body starts to glow and the spirits evaporate. The Dark Magician then stands before us, "When you threaten the Pharaoh, you threaten me!" he speaks in Mahad's voice.

"Oh, I see." Bakura says, "Dying once wasn't good enough for you, so you decided to come back and try it again."

The Dark Magician turns his head in our direction, and his face resembles Mahad. He truly has become the Dark Magician. "No, I'm here to protect my King." Mahad says.

"Please Mahad, you shouldn't put yourself in harm's way again." Yami says standing up.

"I have made a vow to serve you, and that shall never be broken."

"Thank you. But tell me, did my father really kill innocent people just to create the Millennium Items?"

"Excuse me, but I was there fifteen years ago, Pharaoh. I think I should know." Bakura interrupts.

"What Bakura fails to mention is that every person of this village was evil." Mahad says, "My Millennium Ring has always radiated an evil energy, so I began to research the spell used to create the Items. I had reported my findings to your father, and he was just as surprised as I was. He took the blame for everything so that you could continue his legacy."

"Enough! Spirits, dispose of all of them!" Bakura shouts.

Mahad merely lifts a hand and shields us. "My father was a worthy King, Bakura! How dare you poison his legacy with lies!" Yami shouts, "In his name, I demand you give back the Millennium Items you've stolen!"

"Never! If you had paid attention then you would know the Items belong here." Bakura says raising his DiaDhank, "Diabound, come forth!"

Diabound comes forth and looks completely different than last time. It's now even larger, longer, a darker shade of grey, and even more demonic looking. No doubt its power has increased as well. I raise my own DiaDhank, "Divine Queen, help us out!" I shout.

She now appears next to Mahad and Diabound lunges to attack them. Mahad lifts his staff and opens up a wormhole as Diabound fires an attack. The blast goes into the wormhole and another one appears behind Bakura and redirects the attack at one of the pillars. Diabound catches the pillar from crushing the Tablet. I smirk and then nod toward Divine Queen. She fires a blast from her palms right at Diabound's left eye. Bakura holds his own eye in pain, "If you think you're winning this battle, you're mistaken." Bakura says, "Come forth, Bone Snapper!" a large undead turtle-like creature appears over the Tablet to protect it, so Diabound lets go of the fallen pillar, "Diabound, time to use your special ability!"

Diabound's body begins to disappear and is now completely invisible. "_Magic Wave_ attack!" Mahad shouts. He starts firing various green energy attacks around the chamber, opening up holes in the ceiling. Bits of sunlight begin to fill the room and now I understand the purpose of that attack.

"My Diabound is concealed by the darkness! Did you think you'd actually land a hit?" Bakura says.

"Who said we were aiming for Diabound?" Yami smirks.

In one of the spots of light, comes a visible shadow of Diabound. "What?!"

"You forget that light conquers darkness, Bakura!" I say as Divine Queen and Mahad land direct attacks on Diabound.

Diabound falls backwards and Bakura comes to his knees, with sweat dripping from his face. He gets up to his feet, but his legs shake quite violently, "I-it will take more than that to keep me down!" he says. "Dark spirits fill me with your power, so I may avenge you!"

The spirits fly up to Bakura and enter his body as a red aura glows around him. Diabound gets back up and has a very small change in appearance and looks even stronger. "Quickly, Mahad, attack!" Yami shouts.

"Divine Queen, _Vortex of Light _attack!" I shout.

Both attacks go to hit, but a shield forms in front of Diabound and blocks it. You've got to be kidding me. "Diabound, _Spiral Surge _attack!" Bakura shouts. The attack hits both of our monsters and sends a surge of pain throughout my body. "Diabound, finish them off with your _Lightning Summoning Bomb _attack!"

Our monsters are too weak for the moment to fight back. This could be it. I close my eyes as the sound of the attack hitting rings through my ears. I open them once more to see both of them are gone, but I don't feel pain. Yami looks alright also. I look up and notice Dark Magician Girl above us, holding our monsters. But how? Sitting by one of the holes in the ceiling is, "Mana!" Yami exclaims.


	21. Haulted Battle

~Ari~

"Don't worry, Master, you're safe!" Mana says, "Not bad, eh?"

"Thank you Mana." Mahad says, "Even in my absence, I can see you're improving greatly."

Mana then stands by one of the holes in the ceiling and jumps down into the chamber and stands next to Yami and I. "Alright, let's do this!" Mana says.

The three of our monsters each charge up an attack and combine them toward Diabound. The tri-attack fires directly toward Diabound, but the dark spirits once again form a shield around it. Dang, how are we supposed to defeat it? "Nice try, but even a combined attack can't stand up to Diabound!" Bakura says, "Now dark spirits, increase our odds!"

The spirits fly into Diabound and its body begins to let off a light purple aura. The one Diabound then multiplies into four, each having the same devastating attack power. Those spirits seem to not only defend Diabound, but also give it more strength as well. Crap. "Diabound, finish them!" Bakura shouts.

"Counterattack!" Yami says.

The three of our monsters fire their attacks toward three of the four Diabound's. Each attack hits them square-on and they blow up. As our monsters recover, however, the real Diabound charges up an attack toward our monsters and hits Mahad into the wall. Yami starts coughing rather slowly, "Are you alright?" I ask.

"Y-yes." He says.

Diabound begins to charge another attack and aims it toward the three of us. Mana raises her wand and a hat forms around us. The hat is pitch black, and I figure this must be like an ancient Magicial Hats-type thing. "Fools! You can't hide! I'll attack them all!" Bakura shouts.

I hear three of the hats explode beside us and then an attack hits the one we're in, causing us to fly off and hit the ground. I get up slightly and see Diabound about to claw us in half, but then a sword comes out of nowhere and hits Diabound. I turn around to see Duos regaining its sword and Seto, Karim, Isis, and Shimon run into the chamber. "Your Majesties! Are you alright?" Seto asks. "Thank goodness you weren't alone." He glances toward Mahad.

"We're fine." I say standing up.

"Right, come forth, Mystical Elf!" Isis calls.

The Mystical Elf appears and uses a spell that rains glitter down on Yami. He now looks fully healed and gets to his feet. "Well, isn't this just fantastic?" Bakura says, "Of course, it would be better if the Pharaoh was weaker, but I suppose as long as I get those four other Millennium items in this room, things should go well."

"Do not speak such words, Bakura! We shall defeat you, and you know it." Seto says.

"Come out, Curse of Dragon!" Karim says.

Now we have an army of five monsters; I hope that's enough. "Diabound, attack!" Bakura says.

"Defend us!" Seto shouts to our monsters.

The five of our monsters all charge up an attack and blast it toward Diabound at once. However, the _Spirit Shield _around it still stands. Ugh, why can't that thing just give up? "Diabound, _Wave of Multiple Fangs _attack!" Bakura says.

Our monsters dodge the attack, but the Mystical Elf gets destroyed. Isis flinches, but doesn't look too damaged. How will we stop Diabound?

~Sabrina~

I kneel on the ground totally out of breath. As soon as Yami and Ari left, we just kept getting hunted by Bakura's army. I lean over the edge of the cliff we're on to see the army slowly walking below. They haven't attacked us lately and I think they'd have seen us, so I wonder why they don't keep chasing us. "Look guys, instead of being chased around, how about we actually do something useful?" Tristan says.

"Like what? They don't want our help, so what can we do?" I ask.

"Their names! We've been looking for them this whole time, but we just now remember to do so!" Yugi says.

"Exactly." Tristan says, "So the first time the Pharaoh and Queen saved Egypt, they mysteriously lost their memories. Well, what if they did it on purpose?"

"You're suggesting they erased their own memories?" Yugi says, "How could we have missed that?! It's right in front of our faces! They must be trying to protect something from their past that only they knew about! But why weren't their names on that Tablet?"

"It _had _to be erased." Tristan says.

"Of course! Shadi spoke of the true evil that their supposed to face again, so maybe their names have to be the key to stopping it!"

Tristan nods. Joey then looks toward us, "Um, slow down here." He says.

"Joey, they never just forgot their memories." I say, "They wiped them clean so all of it, along with their names, would never be known. They wanted to make sure that even _they_ wouldn't know the secret."

"So that monster we saw in their minds must be what the great evil is." Yugi says, "Bakura must be trying to resurrect it with the Millennium Items, but can't do so within the name!"

"So, come on, let's find their names." Tristan says.

"Oh yeah? Where we gonna find it?" Joey says.

"The palace! They've got to have some records of them in there!" I say, "Maybe since we saw the Pharaoh and Queen, then maybe it'll let us in."

"Then let's go!" Tristan says already running ahead of us. I hope we'll find it.

~Ari~

"Duos, attack!" Seto shouts.

"Diabound, remind them of your strength!" Bakura shouts.

Diabound fires multiple blasts, which hit all of our monsters, but luckily don't destroy them. My chest constricts with pain, so I clutch it to try and numb the pain. I stand back up while the others are still trying to recover. "Divine Queen, _Vortex of Light _attack!" I shout. She goes in for an attack and fires, but the _Spirit Shield _still remains active. "Keep going!"

She continues the assault, but Diabound still takes no damage. "Ha! You people never learn." Bakura says, "Diabound, attack!"

Divine Queen fires a counterattack, which both attacks seem almost equal for the moment, but Diabound quickly overpowers Divine Queen and destroys her. I fall onto my knees and it feels as though my insides are up in flames. I cough, which causes a few drops of blood to drip onto the floor. Err… curse him! Yami immediately runs to me, "Are you alright?" he asks.

"I-I'll be fine." I say.

"We must try another tactic." Seto says, "Karim, are you in?"

"Yes, Millennium Scale, fuse together Duos and Curse of Dragon to form Duos Dragon!" Karim shouts.

Mahad then flies up on top of the Dragon to combine their power even further. "Duos, attack!" Seto shouts.

"Diabound, _Spiral Surge!" _Bakura responds. Both attacks fire and hit each other, neither letting one overpower the other. "Spirits of Kul Elna, give Diabound strength!"

Diabound fires a second attack, which begins to rapidly overpower Duos Dragon's attack. "Duos, _Aura Sword_!" Seto commands. It holds back the attack, but Diabound still seems to be inflicting more damage. I then notice Seto's outstretched arm holding the Rod is beginning to have smoke come from it, "H-help me, Karim."

"_Flame Burst _attack!" Karim shouts.

Even with three attacks, Diabound cannot be stopped. The _Flame Burst _attack fires toward Diabound's shield and I notice part of it is beginning to melt. "Illushu, come forth!" Bakura says.

A small bat-like creature appears next to Karim. It fires a small attack toward Karim, causing him to drop the Millennium Scale. He goes to retrieve it, but a dark spirits grabs it first and hands it to Bakura. "Time to say goodbye to your fused monster." Bakura smirks. Duos Dragon then de-fuses back into Duos and Curse of Dragon. "Diabound, attack!" Diabound charges another attack and destroys the rest of our monsters, except for Mahad, and sends us backwards."Now Millennium Scale, combine Diabound and Illushu!"

Great, now Diabound is even more powerful. I cough up another drip of blood and get up onto my hands and knees. I glance over to see Yami standing up and slowly walking toward Bakura. _What is he doing?_ "Dark Spirits!" he says, "Judge me; I am the one you want!"

N-no. He can't. He just can't! I try to get up to my feet, but I come back to my knees. I don't have the strength to save him, or protect him. "Don't do it!" I shout, "You can't give up!"

"Even if my father, Aknamkanon knew..." Yami says, "For the sake of creating the Millennium Items, a great deal of sacrifices were needed... If my companions had suffered the same thing, I would probably have a heart filled with hatred. To accept this judgment is fate that I, as the cursed Pharaoh, cannot escape from!"

"Well, you heard him, kill him!" Bakura shouts.

The spirits fly out of the ground and go toward Yami. I close my eyes; I cannot let myself see this. My eyes begin to water as I hear Yami yell in pain. "What is happening?" Seto says.

I open my eyes to see Yami shaking and a golden light forming around his body. "_Spirits of Kul Elna, it is not my son you seek vengeance from… it is I."_

Out of the golden light, the silhouette of a man appears above Yami. The man wears royal robes and a sad expression on his face. "Aknamkanon?!" Bakura says.

_This is Yami's father? _Aknamkanon outstretches his arms and the spirits exit Yami's body and go straight into Aknamkanon's. Diabound begins to strink and its power must be decreasing as well. Aknamkanon looks back at the rest of us with a sad smile along his lips. "Father… you saved me." Yami says, "But what is to happen now?"

"He is to lead these spirits to the Realm of the Dead, where they belong." Mahad informs.

Aknamkanon's body begins to disappear and shimmers of light, "Farewell… father."

I get up onto my feet as the other Priests do the same. "Diabound has been weakened. Mahad, strike him now!" Yami commands.

Mahad stabs Diabound with its staff and begins to charge an attack while the staff is still jammed into Diabound. "_Magic Wave_ attack!" Mahad yells.

Diabound's body begins to puff up and then emit a huge explosion that reaches just inches away from us. Bakura starts choking and coughs up blood. It is over. It has to be.

**Hooray, I finally got myself to shut up last chapter. I was watching season 0 yesterday and I immediately started thinking of why I never did it, since that season is freakin awesome. But I'm trying to get that off of my mind. I'm still trying to think of how I'll write the 'game table' part next chapter, but I think I got an idea, maybe.**


	22. Fated RPG

~Sabrina~

We run through the city and reach the gates to the palace. We reach the doors to the palace and stand before them. Yugi nervously extends his hand to the door and… it goes through! We can get inside! "It worked!" Yugi says, "Now let's get in there and start searching!"

I run through the door and enter another walkway, leading the palace's main building. The rest of the gang follows me through the door and we run along the walkway. "Alright, let's meet back here in an hour." I say. "But if you find anything, try to notify the rest of us early."

We all run off in separate directions in the palace.

~Ari~

Bakura pants heavily and coughs up a few more drops of blood. "T-this is not over!" he yells. He collapses along the stairs leading up to the Tablet, as his other monsters disappear. He begins to crawl back toward the Tablet holding the Millennium Items he possesses.

"That action is in vain, Bakura. You can't win." I say.

Bakura crawls on top of the Tablet and holds the items to it. He places the Puzzle within its slot, and begins to put the Scale and Ring in as well. "Yes, give up Bakura. You've been defeated." Yami says.

"Are you sure?"

My eyes widen and we turn around to see Aknadin standing in the doorway to the chamber. He has this crazy look in his eye and looks horrible. In his hand is the Millennium Key. _Isn't that Shada's Item? Where'd he get it? _"That Item belongs to Shada! What have you done with him?!" Seto says.

"That is not your concern for the moment." Aknadin says starting to walk down the small set of stairs leading into the chamber, "But these Items will soon come together where they belong."

"Heheheh…" I hear Bakura chuckle. I spin around to see his body glowing in a weird pink light. _What could he be doing now? _"Uh, where am I? Ah! What's happening with me?!" his hands begin to turn to sand and is forming along the rest of his body. "Help me!" his body then is engulfed in sand and the sand falls to the ground, leaving nothing but his cloak behind.

A voice begins to echo along the walls, _"Good work! But you're not longer useful. Pawns can only be used for so long. That's the rule in work in here!"_

_Who was that? _"A-Aknadin…!" I turn around once again to see Shada standing in the doorway to the chamber. He clutches the wall and looks injured.

~Sabrina~

Err, come on, this palace needs to have something! I run through the hallways of the palace, and end up passing through quite a few servants (which sort of freaks me out), but still find nothing. I stop by a doorway and push it open. It's an entire hallway of nothing but hieroglyphics written along the walls. Great, now if I could only read them.

~Ari~

"C-careful, Aknadin is a traitor..!" Shada says, "He a-attacked me." He rushes up to Aknadin and grabs him by the shoulders, "Now give me back my Key!"

"RELEASE ME!" Aknadin shouts shoving him to the ground.

"Aknadin, have you gone mad? What is the meaning of this?" Shimon asks.

"Hehehe… a new Pharaoh will soon rise!"

_New Pharaoh? What does he mean?_ "Hold your tongue! How dare you speak those words in front of our King!" Seto says.

"SILENCE!" Aknadin raises his hand in the air and Seto immediately stops talking. I look over to him to see that he's not moving either.

"What did you do to-?" I stop talking once Aknadin raises his hand once again. I can't feel my body and no matter how hard I try to move, I cannot. The others must be in the same state, because I can't hear them say anything, or see them move from the corner of my eye.

Aknadin slowly walks up to us and stands before me first. He has a sick and dark look in his eye, "The Great Evil God Zorc shall soon rise once again!" he says to us. _Zorc? Who could that be? _Aknadin reaches his hand toward me and yanks the Pendant from around my neck. He grabs the remaining Items from us and stands so he faces all of us. He reaches for the Millennium Eye within his socket, and pulls it out without hesitation, or signs of much pain. Blood runs down his cheek and he makes his way toward the Tablet.

"_Yes, return the Items to where they belong…" that voice echoes again. _It sounds a lot like Bakura's, but how can that be? This Shadow Game of Bakura's should be over by now! Why does it still go on, even if Bakura's been defeated? Aknadin begins to place the Items within the tablet. Wait… game? A GAME!

~.~.~

_I open my eyes to find myself sitting at a table. It's quite large and it seems we're surrounded by the Shadow Realm. I look to my left to see Yami sitting in a chair next to me, also opening his eyes. We're both wearing the clothes we wore before we got sucked into the land of Egypt and our skin is paler, like the shade of Yugi and Sabrina. "Well, it's about time you Game Masters arrived."_

_Bakura; I could recognize that voice from the other side of the world. "Bakura! Where are we at…?" Yami asks._

_"This place, you ask?" Bakura says from the opposite end of the table, "Well… let's call this the Territory of the Gods, shall we? This place is the real game field of our Ultimate Dark Game; the Dark RPG!"_

_"The Dark RPG?" I repeat._

_"Indeed! The game's terrain is Ancient Egypt. The world in which, you two ruled in 5000 years ago is being recreated as our field. We Game Masters control some characters. By managing to clear the conditions for victory, you win."_

_"Then our characters are the Pharaoh and Queen, while yours is Bakura." Yami says, "However! Your character has been defeated, and therefore we've cleared the conditions for victory! But why?"_

_"Unfortunately enough… When the Millennium items were placed within the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead, the game switched into a new stage! And obviously enough, the conditions to win have changed as well! My soul has been fixated into the Tablet and Zorc will soon arise!"_

_"Who is Zorc?" I ask._

_"I've heard of him in a vision before when I went missing." Yami says, "He seems to be an Evil God that Bakura is trying to resurrect."_

_"Right you are Pharaoh!" Bakura says._

_"Yes, but in short, as long as Zorc isn't defeated, it'll bring our defeat, correct?"_

_"You won't only lose!"_

_"What?"_

_"To find you, your beloved companions are within the game as well. So, they'll die while in there. They're so going to die!"_

_"Bakura, you lowlife…"_

_"Yes, but all of your pawns have been frozen in time. Including those little companions of yours. You may all thank this handy device." Bakura pulls out an item from his jacket and places it on the table._

_"What is that?" I ask._

_"It's my Time-Controlling Hourglass. This one allows me to freeze every character in the game, except for mine. You may recall one of them from that little incident when time went in reverse, hm?" Right, that was why time started to flow backwards that one time. It devastated us and changed the entire game. "Unfortunately for you, I can use my hourglasses three times in the game. But I've already used two of them, so I have one left. Now let's take a look back into the game."_

~.~.~

We're both back in the chamber and still unable to move. "Great Evil God Zorc! Please hear my wish!" Aknadin shouts.

A giant purple cloud comes out of the Tablet and a shadow of a purple demon forms from it. I'd assume that must be Zorc, "Priest Aknadin! I know that you have come to this place to gain my contract of the Dark. Why would you, you who created the Millennium Items? Aknadin! To repay you from offering your soul to be ruled by me, I shall grant you a wish." He says.

"Yes my lord! I have but one wish! To allow for my son, Seto, to become the new Pharaoh!"

_Seto is Aknadin's son? _"I have listened to it. Receive my power, Aknadin!" Zorc says.

Zorc moves his hand over Aknadin and shoots a purple ray of light over him. He transforms Aknadin into a demon-like creature wearing black robes, a white mask with no facial features, long blood-red hair, and hands that have claws reaching from it.

~.~.~

_"Looks like Aknadin has just doubled in strength; he's been reborn into the Great Dark Priest!" Bakura says._

_"You won't win, Bakura!" Yami says, "Zorc hasn't been reborn, so there is still time!"_

_"On the contraire, you see, I can resurrect Zorc even without the ninth key! This key is but a single word; the Pharaoh's name! It has the very power to resurrect Zorc and lock him away! However, using my final hourglass, when the last grain of sand falls, Zorc will be reborn!"_

~.~.~

Zorc's shadow disappears from above the Tablet, and the Great Dark Priest/Aknadin stands before us. "This is what I've always wanted for you, Seto!" he says, "I had to abandon your mother and you once the Millennium Items were created for your own safety, but never had I imagined you'd grow this powerful! And there's something else you should know; King Aknamkanon and I were brothers! So should anything happen to the Pharaoh and his descendants, then you shall be crowned the new King! It's now time to begin the era of King Seto!"

Purple lightning begins to forms around Aknadin and he charges up an attack in his hands aimed toward us. The attack fires and we can't even blink, let alone move. A golden light appears in front of us and a man appears and blocks the attack from us. _Who is that?_

~.~.~

_"What? This isn't part of the game!" Bakura says._

_"Have you forgotten that you're not the only Game Master?" Yami says, "And I have a Master Item as well." He continues holding up a golden game piece in the shape of a golden head._

~.~.~

"How dares stand in the way in my destiny?!" Aknadin shouts

"I am Hassan; eternal protector of the Pharaoh." The man says. "For centuries I have defended the honor of Egypt's King."

Hassan wears white robes and a golden mask over his face. He thrusts his arms upward and sends the attack through the ceiling.

~.~.~

_The attack goes right up through the Game Table and shoots into the air. It bursts into different rays of light and begins to hit across the table. One of which, destroys one of Bakura's Time-Controlling Hourglasses. Our characters can finally move again now. "Looks like we're back in the game, Bakura." I say._

_"Not quite. You won't last." He says, "You see, attached to each DiaDhank is a life energy measurer. Once that runs out, the person is dead. And by the looks of things, your characters are almost to zero, while my ultimate Great Dark Priest is at full power! So do you understand now? Back 5000 years ago, we merely witnessed these events, when being the Game Masters now, we can control them!"_

_"This game must end now!" Yami says._

_"In due time, Pharaoh. But do you understand why I call this the Ultimate Game? Here we are, playing up here, while the very fate of mankind rests in our palms! And you forget that I still have my third hourglass in play; so once the sand falls, Zorc will be reborn!_

**This episode was confusing. I hate when the constant POV switches happen. As you may be able to tell, I'm using tons of Japanese dialogue (most of which was the original dialogue, not changed whatsoever). It just sounds freaking epic that way. And so the Game Table scenes I put in italics because I felt like it.**


	23. Priest of Darkness

~Ari~

"Aknadin…" Seto starts, "Do you speak the truth? Am I really your son?"

"It is the truth, my son." Aknadin says, "Soon enough the Great Evil God Zorc shall be revived… Come to my side, defeat that man, and then the title of Pharaoh shall be yours."

"Aknadin is… my father."

"Come Seto!"

Hassan tilts his head toward Seto, "Do not be deceived by someone who surrender its soul to an evil God! Seto! Your duty as a priest is to protect the Pharaoh along with this country!" he says.

"Seto…!" Yami nods toward him.

"Seto! The blood of the royal family flows within your veins. Do not try to defy your own set fate!" Aknadin says.

"Seto! Do not be deluded! Our duty is to protect this land and this country! And to accomplish it, we have to defeat Zorc! It's alright for you if this evil God comes out and takes over the motherland?" Yami says.

"Hmpf! This motherland...? Then, I shall ask one thing... Who has protected this land and country until now? You lowlife? No. Wrong. Then, was it the father of you?" Aknadin mocks.

"What are you talking about?"

"Not even my elder brother, Aknamkanon, could do such a thing. I, on the other hand, _could _protect this kingdom. For it was I that created the Millennium Items, and I, who stopped the coming invaders. But yet, he still gained all the credit! Not once was I ever acknowledged for my duties to Egypt! I was the darkness amongst the two of us, while he was the light, though his hands are still stained with the blood of this kingdom."

So his hidden jealousy brought him to this. "But even so, Aknadin!" Shimon says, "If you cared so much for our Majesty King, Aknamkanon, why betray him now?"

"Shimon! Do not speak my words as betrayal. The relationship between my elder brother and I…!"

"You merely manipulated King Aknamkanon to your own ends and to be able to gain the Dark." Hassan says.

"What are you speaking about, Hassan? If you really were the protector of the former Pharaoh, then you should know! The censured truth between Akamkanon and I! We were twin brothers!"

"Twins?" I say.

"Although we were born at the same time, Aknamkanon gained more attention than I. He always seemed to grasp attention whenever he could, even through infancy, his cries were louder."

"You… knew this much?" Shimon says.

"Aknadin…" Yami says.

"So, I merely became a helper to my elder brother. I had to abandon my wife and Seto... And soil my hands in blood. However! Even though after all those years, my loyalty remained intact! However, Seto. You finally returned... To my side. Seto! Cannot you feel it? Cannot you feel this fate...? You must remember the White Dragon! It is here to guide you along fate's path! You have been chosen by it!"

_White Dragon? Could he mean the Blue-Eyes White Dragon? _"The White Dragon…?" Seto says. His eyes begin to glow yellow, "It… will guide my fate? Allow me to become Pharaoh?"

"Impossible! If the Great Evil God Zorc is resurrected, then the world shall be destroyed and nothing will be left! What's the point in becoming King afterwards? Seto! Don't be fooled!" Yami says.

He goes to run up to Seto, but Aknadin outstretches his arm and shoots an attack to keep Yami back. Seto's eyes cease glowing, but he looks toward Aknadin."You do not understand it, Seto? When the Great Evil God Zorc is revived, this country shall become the Dark World! We merely need to assist Zorc in the creation of the new world! And the one who shall rule over it shall be... You! Seto! You shall become the Dark King!" Aknadin says.

"The Dark King…?" Seto says.

"Come! Decide your fate! Come to my side, Seto!"

Seto's eyes begin to glow again, "Father…"

"Seto! Don't do it!" I shout.

Seto begins to take a few steps forward toward Aknadin. _Is Aknadin controlling him? How is that fair? _"Father…" he speaks again. His eyes stop glowing once again, "That's… the White Dragon!"

"Seto! You shall become the new King!" Aknadin says.

"Don't mess around! We won't sit idle and let the Dark swallow this land and country! Seto! We must combine our powers and defeat the Great Evil God Zorc!" Yami says.

"Seto, you must help us!" I say, "It's your duty to!"

He stays silent and blankly stares forward. He has to stay by our side; he can't let himself give into Aknadin. "Come to me, my son!" Aknadin says.

"Aknadin! You, who are stained by the Dark, don't have the right to talk in the name of the King!" Hassan says.

"I don't need to listen to your words. I shall resurrect Zorc, kill the Pharaoh, and destroy the light!" Aknadin reaches his hand for us again and another attack stretches from his palm toward us. Hassan easily steps in front of us and blocks the attack. "Your end is forthcoming, Pharaoh! Spoiled brat!"

"Pharaoh, I shall block you." Hassan says, "I will not allow him to harm you!"

~Sabrina~

Huh, I can move again. A while ago, I suddenly couldn't move, but now I've regained that. I stare at the room I'm in, with the hieroglyphics along the walls. I figure I won't find anything if I can't even read anything. I exit the room and walk around the other hallways. I come across the doorway to another room and enter it. It looks like some sort of pantry where they keep all of the food for the palace.

I look around and hear a slight noise coming from by one of the shelves. I walk over there to see Bobasa sitting on the ground with empty baskets and pans scattered at his feet. That figures. Tristan stands next to him, while Bobasa sobs over the fact that he's run out of food. Tristan starts to knock on Bobasa's head while he sobs, "Hey, get why don't you!" he says.

"Um, Tristan, what are you doing?" I ask.

He immediately turns around and stares at me, "Oh, I was just trying to motivate him. Yeah, that's it. But this guy won't stop complaining!" he says the last part loudly.

I raise my eyebrow and glance toward Bobasa, who is currently ignoring this conversation. "Hey, there ya guys are!"

I turn around to see Joey, Yugi, and Tea walking into the room. "So, by the way you guys look, you didn't find their names either?" I say.

"Nah, it'd be easier if we could actually touch stuff." Joey says.

Yugi notices Bobasa crying on the ground and approaches him, "Hey, what's wrong Bobasa?" he asks.

"There's not a scrap of food left!" he sobs.

I immediately frown at this. "Ugh, I'm so hungry now!" Joey says.

"We haven't eaten anything in days. But apparently, Bobasa beats us to it." I say.

"Wait; is this the pantry for the palace?" Yugi says. I nod. "Bobasa cleaned the place out! There's nothing left!"

"Ya couldn't have left us even one crumb?!" Joey yells at Bobasa, "Ya big balloon freak!"

"Look, ever since we met this guy, he's only held us back." Tristan says, "I think it's time we start traveling lighter."

"He has a good point." Tea says.

"Yeah, let's get out of here; we're not going to find their names in the palace." I say, "Where to now?"

"Hold on, we can't just leave Bobasa!" Yugi says, "Bobasa, come on, you're going with us."

"But I can't move a muscle, I'm still too hungry!" Bobasa whines.

_SERIOUSLY?! This guy is still hungry after he vacuumed up the entire pantry? _"Whatever, let's just leave him." Tristan says.

"No, we need to help him."

"Come on, what has he ever done for us?"

"Well, we would never have found the Pharaoh without him."

"You want to waste all of our time?"

"Whatever, the guy at least did something." Joey says, "Fine, we'll get da guy some food."

We exit the pantry and start looking around for food. I search around a few crates stuffed in a storage room, but find nothing. The rest of the gang doesn't seem to have any luck either. Yugi walks up toward one of the various balconies in the palace, so I follow him. We look below the balcony to see a garden, "Hey look!" Yugi points.

I follow his gaze to see some grapes hanging from a nearby tree. I smile and rush back into the palace and inform the gang. We all go back into the pantry and see Bobasa still sitting there sobbing. "Um, how are we gonna move him?" Joey says.

"The only way possible." Yugi says.

Yugi and I end up pulling on Bobasa's arms, while the other three push him throughout the hall. We're almost to the garden and I think my arms are about to fall off. Shouldn't there be like a weight where someone won't be able to live any longer? If so, then this guy exceeds all odds. We finally make it into the garden and drag him in front of the tree. Bobasa sees them and immediately lunges for them. "Hooray! Thank you, my friends!" he says.

Bobasa stuffs the grapes into his mouth, which makes my own mouth fill with saliva. Please, stop chewing so loudly. "You feel better now?" Yugi asks.

Bobasa tosses the stem onto the ground. He certainly looks better and now… his body is floating in midair?! Seriously though, he looks two times larger and like a balloon, and he's floating! "Now that I am full, I can grant your wish!" Bobasa says, "Now let us find the names of the Pharaoh and Queen, shall we? Everybody onto Bobasa's back!"

"Um…." I say.

"We can trust him. It's our only chance." Yugi says.

We all walk up to Bobasa and get onto his back. We sit down on him and it feels almost like an air mattress, which is still pretty weird. His body rises higher into the air and we fly slowly off above the city. We fly above the desert and see some mountains shortly ahead. "Hey, where are you taking us?" Yugi asks.

"Our first stop is the Valley of the Queens." Bobasa informs.

"Valley of the Queens?" I say, "Isn't that where Ari's tomb is?"

"Yeah, Gramps said something about it." Yugi says.

I now remember how Gramps was so serious in keeping us away from their tombs. Oh well, this is too important. We land next to the small mountains and I'm guessing the tombs were placed inside the mountains. We jump off of Bobasa and see a cave entrance ahead of us, which is probably Ari's tomb. "Do not worry, my friends." Bobasa says, "I shall wait here for you to return."

He still floats in midair and smiles at us. "Well, let's go inside!" I say.

~Ari~

_We sit at the Game Table and watch the playing field. "I do see…" Bakura smirks._

_"What is it?" I ask._

_"It seems your friends are making some nice progress… They're starting with finding your name first."_

_"Wait, how do you know that?" Yami asks, "The Master cannot influence over the NPC's."_

_"How do I know, you ask?" Bakura says, "Well, the great mine's… No, the Great Evil God Zorc's coming is progressing closer. Our climax is reaching. But I'm sorry if we're keeping out of the main character's storyline."_

_The Game Table switches to an image of Aknadin still trying to persuade Seto to join him. Hassan is currently blocking another attack from Aknadin and protecting the Pharaoh. "Those pawns of yours are quite difficult to get around." Bakura says._

_"Whatever you're scheming, you won't accomplish it!" Yami says._

_"So, you're putting more effort into it? Well, resurrecting Zorc just isn't my main role."_

_"Main role?" I say._

_"Yes, I'm merely copying a tactic of the Pharaoh. Don't you remember when little Yugi gave you back your strength, Pharaoh? I plan to use the same method with my pawn."_

_"Your pawn?" Yami says._

_"Indeed! I've invited another player to the game! I'll pull him into this world and use his own strength to increase my own. This role belongs to your friend the CEO!"_

_"It can't be! You've targeted Kaiba?!"_

~.~.~

Aknadin is still desperately firing an attack toward Yami, but it's all in vain. Hassan blocks every attack that comes toward us, and quite easily at that. Seto's eyes are flashing yellow, but return to their normal state. A golden light blasts into the room between Aknadin and Hassan. At the same point, a small tornado of dust begins to form. _What now? _

The dust forms into the state of a person and I have a feeling that I know who. The dust disappears and the person is left smirking toward us, looking recharged and everything. "I'm back Pharaoh! Pawns are, after all, just pawns! It's not easy to get rid of them! And it turns out that I'm not as dead as you thought!" Bakura says.

**Most of the dialogue is from the Japanese version (just saying so I give credit), but I also took some Jap. dialogue and recreated it to my own advantage. I'm not sure how I'll write the Valley of the Queens, but it won't have nearly as many traps or anything like Yami's tomb has. 4Kids has really bad dialogue (just saying), I mean come on, they didn't even tell us Aknadin and Aknamkanon were twins like the Jap. version did.**


	24. Tomb of Queens

~Sabrina~

We begin to walk into the tomb with the light from the outside becoming less and less visible. It's a long hallway that seems manmade but also created from the rock itself. I wish Gramps would've visited this tomb also, because we have no idea of what kind of traps could lie ahead. But like he said, I guess Yami wanted to keep the Pendant close to his tomb.

There's no change in lighting, even though up ahead I see a doorway to the first room. We step through the doorway to find an empty room. Its dark, but we can still see considerably well. My eyes scan the room to see nothing inside the room, except for the door on the other side. "Well, no use standin' here!" Joey says.

He begins to take a few steps forward, "JOEY, DON'T!" Yugi shouts.

Just as he says that, a rock falls from the ceiling and threatens to crush Joey, but thank goodness he's fast. "AAHH!" Joey yells running back to us. "What da heck was that?!"

"This must be the first trap." I say, "Rocks will threaten to crush those who try to get by."

"Then how do we get by?" Yugi asks.

"Ugh, out of my way." Tristan says pushing us aside.

"Tristan!"

Tristan walks through the room and various rocks threaten to crush him. They almost land on him, so he runs back toward us. "What were you thinking?!" Tea asks.

"I merely tested the trap." Tristan says annoyed, "There seems to be motion sensors on each stone tile."

So that's how it gets triggered. I look around at my feet and spot a small pebble. I pick it up and toss it onto one of the tiles. Nothing happens. "So the motion sensors must react to a certain weight." I say, "Unfortunately, we don't weigh as little as a pebble."

"Hmm… then how do we get across?" Yugi says, "Ah! I got it! Sabrina, remember what Grandpa told us? He said to treat each challenge we face like a game."

"Yes, but, what's the solution to this game?"

We all look back toward the stone tiles and try to think of solutions. "I got it!" Yugi exclaims, "If the tiles can only sense a certain amount of weight, then all we need to do is balance that. See the creases that separate the tiles? Maybe if we walk across them, then the tiles can't balance our weight to crush us."

"Good thinkin', Yug'!" Joey says slapping him across the back.

I step up first and find a crease that goes all the way to the other door. I put my toe to the crease and slowly walk across it in the middle of the two tiles beside it. The rest of the gang shortly follows behind me. We finally make it to the other door and get out of that death trap. But, I know there must be another death trap in the next room.

We run through the next hallway, but still go cautiously. The doorway to the next room lies just up ahead. All of us reach the next room which is almost just as empty as the other one. Except this time, it's an 'S' shaped pathway with the rest of it a deep chasm. The room is littered with skeletons and just looking at them gives the room an uneasy feel. The tiles that make up the path are blank, except for a select few. "What do you suppose this is?" Yugi asks.

"It looks almost like a game board." I say.

"Let's go." Tristan says.

We cautiously begin to walk across the board and most of the spaces are blank. We step over one of the spaces with a symbol on it and it begins to flash. All of us take a step backwards and what looks like a Duel Monster comes out of the tile. "Um… what now?" I lean toward the gang.

"RUN!" Joey shouts.

We run backwards to the start of the 'S' shaped path. I look back to see that the monster isn't doing anything and merely sinks back into the tile. "Should we keep going?" Tea asks.

"We don't have a choice." I say.

We walk back through the path. We walk over the same tile that the monster came from, but it does nothing. All of us keep walking and walk over another marked tile, but nothing happens. Tristan is the last in line for us and after a moment we hear, "AH!"

We turn around to see Tristan dodge a spear shooting toward him. He merely grunts and doesn't look all that frightened. "Geez, what was that?" I ask.

"It must be another trap." Yugi says, "If this place is anything like the Pharaoh's tomb, then probably the traps are designed to target anyone evil or showing fear."

"But we're not evil."

"Then maybe it senses our emotions. The goal of the game could be not to think at all."

"But how da we not think?" Joey asks.

I kind of have the same question. _What's a way that we can't think at all? _Something comes to my head, "What if we close our eyes?"

"The how will we see?" Tristan says.

I shrug and close my eyes and begin to walk forward. It kills me to not know where I'm going, but I try to think of nothing. I open my eyes once again to see that I'm only a few feet away from the other side of the room. _Could this place really somehow guide people to the other side? _I look back at the rest of the gang to see them doing the same thing as me. I make it to the other side of the room, with the rest of the gang behind me. Now that I look forward, the other side of the room is just a large statue of an Ancient Egyptian goddess, most likely. "This can't be it." I say.

"There must be a switch of sorts." Yugi says.

All of us look around the statue, but don't seem to see anything. "Hey, look here." Tristan says. We walk up to him and see him point to a crack behind the statue, "Looks like a passage to me."

"Yeah!" Joey says starting to push on the statue. We help him out and manage to push it enough to reveal a hidden staircase.

We run down the staircase and see a light up ahead. We enter a room and see torchlight coming from the sides of the room. On the opposite end of the room is an altar with nothing on it. "So this is the Queen's burial chamber." Tristan says walking forward.

The back wall has hieroglyphics written across it and the middle of the wall is blank. I suppose the altar was meant for a sarcophagus, but Ari didn't have a body to be placed there. "Okay, but how will we find her name?" I ask, "None of us can read hieroglyphics."

Tristan grabs a torch from the wall, "Oh come on, it's too obvious." He says.

He approaches the altar with the torch in hand and stands before the blank part of the wall. He throws the torch on the ground to the bottom of it, setting it on fire. "What are you doing? You're going to burn this place!" I shout.

"Just watch." He says staring at the flames.

The flames on the ground die down and then I watch as they climb up the wall. They form in an elaborate pattern of symbols and the flames disappear and leave behind a golden outline of symbols across the wall. "Err, what could dat be?" Joey asks.

Tristan glares at him, "It's obviously the Queen's name." he says.

"We can't read it though." I say, "It looks like a stick, key, rock, comb, and then a bird."

"We just need to memorize the symbols." Yugi says, "Maybe if we tell the Pharaoh and Queen of what they are, then they'll be able to read them."

_Okay, so it's a; stick, key, rock, comb, and then bird. _I try to stamp these images into my mind and look them over until I have it practically engraved in my head. "Alright guys, let's go." I say.

"Where are we going now?" Tea asks as we climb the stairs again.

"The Valley of the Kings." Yugi says.

**If Yami's tomb gets it own chapter, then Ari's can too. This isn't really how I expected to spend my Halloween, but I was in a horrible mood today, so I didn't want to trick-or-treat (yes, I still do that) and this is where I am now. The second room's 'game board' is based off of an Egyptian game called 'Senet', it sounds quite intriguing. **


	25. Countdown to Resurrection

~Ari~

Bakura stands before us and smirks, and I cannot hide my scowl. "Now then, I'm afraid someone must update me on the situation." Bakura says.

"You can't have regenerated yourself, it's not possible." I say.

Bakura smirks and then glances toward Aknadin, "Apparently, one of my pawns isn't being obedient enough, so I'm stepping in to change things."

"I..I-!" Aknadin stutters.

"Save your breath, you fool. You needed more time, I'd presume? That's why I'm here; to speed things up. I'll focus on the Pharaoh; you just worry about that son of yours. _He _is the only one worthy of ruling the Dark World. For you, Seto, can control the Blue-Eyes White Dragon; a creature that rivals the Gods!"

"Kisara…" Seto mutters.

"The peasant girl?" Shada says.

"What are you talking about?" Yami asks.

"Recently, Seto and I ran into a young girl with a power like none I've ever seen. Bakura is right saying it rivals that of Gods. Whoever she is, she posses the gift, or curse rather, of such a beast. Either way, it mustn't fall into the wrong hands."

"Or else what?" Bakura says, "Afraid of such a creature? Afraid that it could overpower you? Afraid of the Dark World? The only fact that remains here is that the Great Evil God Zorc will resurrect momentarily, and all you can do is watch. Now the only thing left to do is to find a new King."

"Yes, listen to us Seto." Aknadin says, "If you side with the Pharaoh, your destiny will be ruined and your blood shall be turned into that of trash. But if you join us, your blood will become that of pure royalty! You were born with this task!"

"You're right…" Seto says. His eyes aren't glowing, but by his tone, it's obvious that brainwashing is involved.

"Seto, you mustn't let the darkness stain that of your light heart." Hassan says.

"Silence!" Bakura says holding up his DiaDhank, "Diabound, return to me!"

Diabound appears once again and charges up another attack. Hassan jumps in front of us however and blocks it. "That's not possible!" I shout, "We destroyed Diabound, you shouldn't be able to summon him!"

"Yes, his stone tablet has already been destroyed!" Shada says.

"With all the Millennium Items in my grasp, I no longer need his tablet." Bakura says, "Diabound now knows infinite strength and the darkness of the Items shall continue to fuel it!"

"Yes, my son, and if you join us, then you shall know infinite strength as well!" Aknadin says stepping closer to him, "Please, everything you so desire shall be yours in one moment."

"Seto, you can't, you're one of us!" Isis says.

Seto blankly stares at the ground and remains silent. "You can't join them! They'll only poison the world, and you, in darkness!" I say.

"Seto, wake up!" Yami shouts, "I know your mind isn't foolish enough to be controlled!"

Seto looks up in shock for a moment but still remains quiet. "Enough! I shall take matters into my own hands!" Aknadin appears next to Seto and grabs him by the throat. He lifts his other arm into the air and creates a dark portal next to them. He tosses Seto into the portal and is starting to walk in himself.

In spite of the moment, I start running toward the portal as it begins to close. I notice Diabound is starting to charge an attack to stop me, but I keep running. I lunge into the portal as it begins to close behind me. _Aknadin isn't going to rip his claws in Seto that easily._

~.~.~

_"That was a foolish move of your pawn, Queen." Bakura says._

_"At least Seto will have some help." I say, "You and Akndin have done nothing but cheat this entire game."_

_"As if. We're only going by the extreme measures of the rulebook."_

_I stare back at the Game Table to see Bakura's pawn snap his fingers and the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead begins to sink into the ground. "What have you done?" Yami asks._

_"The only thing left to do is to wait for the Evil God Zorc to appear." Bakura says, "That will be my only chance at victory. In the meantime, I think it fitting that I enjoy myself with your pawns. And I think you all deserve some time apart."_

_"What are you planning to do to them?"_

_"Heh… Kill them. One by one, their bodies will fall."_

_I look back at the Game Table to see Diabound sending a haze over the chamber. Now the entire Game Table just shows a screen of nothing but black. "What have you done to them?" Yami says._

_"I've bought myself a bit of time. Here, I'll clear the area." Bakura says._

_The Game Table unfogs to show Kul Elna. Mana is alone, Shada and Shimon are together, Isis and Karim are with each other, and then the Pharaoh and Hassan. "That's cheating!" I say._

_"Not quite. Last I checked, your pawn ran off by herself, so would that be considered cheating? Of course that saves me the trouble of having to separate the Pharoh and Queen myself, so I guess I should thank you. Now enjoy the show of watching the countdown to the Evil God's revival and see your friends squirm and die."_

_"You still won't win Bakura." Yami says._

_"I'm afraid I already have."_

~Sabrina~

We jump off of Bobasa's back and stand before the entrance to Yami's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Bobasa floats in midair and then begins to deflate and stands upright again. We turn toward him, "Wow, thank you Bobasa, you've helped us so much." Yugi says.

"Bobasa is the one who should be thanking you guys. You were very kind to give me those grapes to fill up Bobaba's stomach." Bobasa says.

"Hey, I just realized that I'm not as hungry as I was earlier." I say.

"Yeah, us too." Tea says.

"Maybe meeting Bobasa just had something to do with it." Yugi smiles.

"Bobasa isn't hungry anymore and that is alright." Bobasa says, "I only hope we can meet again, my friends. Goodbye!"

As he says that, his body begins to disappear into flashes of golden glitter that evaporate into the air. "Ya know, I think I might actually miss dat balloon." Joey says.

"Yeah, but now that we're at the tomb, it's time to go inside." I say.

~Ari~

_"Looks like your pawns are running out of time." Bakura says._

_He's right; they'll all be killed at this rate. Everyone is dealing with their own separate monster to face, while the Pharaoh and Hassan have to deal with a swarm of thousands of this bug called scarabs. "Maybe these deaths wouldn't happen if you hadn't erased your memories." Bakura mocks, "Then maybe Zorc wouldn't be in the process of being revived."_

_I sigh because he's probably right. I watch the Game Table to see everyone not doing so well. However, they all summon their own monsters to defend themselves and seem to be doing a lot better. But they're still weaker because of their isolation from everyone else. "This is quite exciting. Would you two like to guess who dies first?" Bakura mocks, "Oh, come on, it's a game! You've got to learn to have some fun!"_

_We watch as Shada overpowers the monster he faces with Two-Headed Jackal Warrior. Everyone else seems to be winning as well. "Hmm… seems your pawns aren't all that worthless after all." Bakura says._

_"They're our friends." Yami corrects._

_"Oh yes, I forgot how much you care for them. And of all the fond memories you've shared with them. Face it, they're nothing but strangers to you, but yet you still feel compelled to call them friends. Pitiful."_

_"You wouldn't understand Bakura; no one has ever cared about you. These people are important to us, we share bonds that have lasted 5000 years. Never have they turned their backs on us, so we'll do the same."_

_I look down at the Table to see Isis' Spiria losing to her creature, but Two-Headed Jackal Warrior steps in. Karim faces Shada and pleas for him to take his energy. I watch as Karim transfers his very life energy to Shada. Karim then collapses and falls over unmoving. The Pharaoh and Hassan now arrive and watch Karim's last moments. The Pharaoh gets up again and grabs his horse. He tells Hassan to protect the others while he looks for my pawn and Seto._

~Sabrina~

We enter the chamber to the first room of the tomb. If I remember correctly, this is where the needle-shooting snake heads were. Well, their actually above our heads, so that gives us another clue. Tea touches one of the walls, "Hey, we can't pass through walls here." She says.

"I'm not surprised." Yugi says, "From what Grandpa said, this tomb is pretty well protected."

"He was here?" Tea asks.

"Well, if we're looking for his name, den let's get goin'!" Joey says running forward.

"Joey, it's not that easy!" I shout. The needles spit out of the snakes mouths and just barely miss Joey's feet. "Joey, we just came from the Queen's tomb, you should know these places have traps."

"Yugi, did your Grandfather say how to get through this thing?" Tristan asks in an annoyed tone.

"Yup, I just hope I can remember it all." He says.

"Luckily, we have me here to help also." I say.

We head through the doorway and reach the next room. It's the room with the weird maze and the statues that try to kill you, and ended up stabbing that one guy. "Alright, what did he say about dis maze?" Joey asks.

"Well, the statues are kind of like…. Robots. He also said that whoever enters needs to show their respect, like the Egyptians did." Yugi says.

"Yeah, so do you see how their feet are positioned?" I say, "They stand with their left foot forward…"

"…Which was a sign of respect to the Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt because the heart was on that side of the body." Yugi finishes.

"So, we walk with our left foot forward?" Tea says.

Yugi and I nod. Yugi steps up to the maze first, closely followed by me and then the rest of the gang. We all start walking with our left foot in front of our right one, which is a bit difficult at first. We manage to get around the statues, which sense our respect and let us pass.

All of us head to the next room which is what Gramps referred to as the 'Monster Bridge'. "So what's da deal with dis place?" Joey says.

"Each tablet engraved on the ground has a monster living inside." Yugi says, "If they sense fear, then they'll attack."

"They wouldn't happen to be a shortcut, would there?" Tea says nervously.

Yugi stares forward and begins to walk across the bridge. The rest of the gang looks nervous, but I start walking behind Yugi. Once we're almost at the end, the gang decides to follow us. We reach the end of the bridge to find the elevated platform that the Puzzle and Pendant were probably put. I run my hand across the stone, just imagining both boxes sitting there and waiting for its owner, "It's hard to believe that Gramps found them forty years ago." I say.

"But nothing else is here." Joey says.

"Maybe like the Queen's tomb, there's a name written on the wall." Tea says.

On the back wall are some hieroglyphics, but not a spot for a name like Ari's tomb had. But once again, we can't read hieroglyphics. "What now?" I ask.

"I don't know." Yugi says, "Maybe there's a room that even Gramps couldn't find."

"Good luck findin' it." Joey says leaning his hand against a small pillar. Conveniently, his hand moves into the pillar and seems to activate a switch of sorts. The back wall begins to lift up, "What?! Holy crap!"

"I guess we found it." Yugi says.

**Was this chapter short? I don't know, but it seems better than the last one.** **I couldn't find any Japanese dialogue for this chapter (sad face) but I tried to write it like I pictured they would say it. Idk if I want to post again today, but I guess that depends on how bored I get. And next time someone says I'm cheating I'll just copy Bakura and say 'I'm playing the extreme measures of the rulebook'.**


	26. Awaited Deaths

~Sabrina~

The wall ceases opening but a white light still remains. "I wonder what's inside." Joey says.

"Probably the Pharaoh's name." Yugi says.

Tristan rushes past us and practically shoves us out of the way, "Tristan!" I call.

We run in the room after him and gasp. It's just an empty room! "Okay, what now?" I say.

"Gramps said that you need to look beyond the obvious to figure this place out." Yugi says.

Tristan takes a step in front of us and looks at the ground, "I found a clue." He says. I follow his gaze to see that we're standing on a symbol of sorts. I feel a need to slap myself for not seeing this because it's quite obvious. There are two painted eyes on the ground with a white line connecting them and then a circle in the middle that has hieroglyphics written in it.

"Great, now if we could only read it." Joey says.

"It says; He who solves the illennium Puzzle must return the wish he was granted. Only then the door shall be opened." Tristan says.

"Hey, since when could you read hieroglyphics?" I say, "We were in Ari's tomb, we found her name, and we couldn't read it! You jerk! Why are you just mentioning this now?!"

Tristan ignores me as I continue to glare at him. He walks over to Yugi, crouches down and places his hands on his shoulders, "Tell us, what did you wish for on the Puzzle? You have to return it if we're to find the Pharaoh's name." Tristan says.

"B-but Tristan… I could never give back my wish." Yugi says, "It's impossible."

~Ari~

I open my eyes to find myself lying on the ground. The last thing I remember was running into that portal after Aknadin and Seto. I get into a sitting position and look around. I'm on the roof of a building somewhere in the middle of the desert. I now glance next to me to find Seto lying there unconscious. "Seto, get up." I say touching his shoulder.

He opens his eyes and starts looking around, "…Where is this?" he says, "Ah! Aknadin!"

I now look up to see Aknadin standing by us with his back facing us. "Look closely, Seto. With the new God, you shall hold the proof that you are the new Pharaoh! And that holder is heading over here!" he says.

I stand up and look to where Aknadin is standing. In the distance, is a girl with white hair and blue eyes running toward us. Seto now stands up and notices her, "Kisara!" he cries. _So that's who he and Shada spoke of. The girl that holds the Blue-Eyes White Dragon._

Aknadin now turns around to face us, "Seto! Your fate is to become the new King! AHAHA!" he says.

Seto ignores him and starts heading down the stairs to the bottom of the building. I glance at Aknadin to see that he merely watches Seto, so I follow him. We reach the end of the stairs to see Kisara standing in front of the building panting. Seto runs up to her and I follow. "Kisara, you should not be here." He says, "Neither should you, my Queen. This is my fight."

"You saved my life once Seto, and now it's time for me to return the favor." Kisara says.

I'm snapped back to where we are by Aknadin's dark laughter. We turn around to still see him standing on the roof of the building, "It came. The holder of the White Dragon. Seto, you shall be granted proof that you are the King." He says.

"Seto, you know not to listen to him, right?" I say.

The ground then begins to tremor. The pillars surrounding us start shaking and start to crack. "The Evil God Zorc's arrival is upon us, my son!" Aknadin says, "Now you must kill that girl and claim the power you need! You must also kill the current Queen, for she will only get in your way! Only then will you become the Dark King!"

"Aknadin!" Seto shouts, "Even if you are my father, I will not sell my soul to the Dark!" he now turns toward Kisara and I, "Come, let's go."

We nod and start running away from the building. Something inside me tells me it won't be that easy though. We continue to run, but stop once two giant boulders appear and block our path. I go to raise my DiaDhank, but Seto puts his arm in front of me, "My Queen, please let me fight for you." He says, "Come out, Duos!"

His monster appears and slashes through the boulders perfectly. We continue running as I notice a shadow leap over our heads. We're halted once again when Aknadin appears in front of us. "You've left me no choice Seto!" Aknadin raises his arms into the air and a giant purple man-like creature appears behind him. The monster grabs Duos and easily crushes it within its grip.

Seto holds his chest in pain. Kisara looks at him with concern on her face and then glares at Aknadin. Her body glows in a blue aura and that aura transforms into the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Blue-Eyes goes to fire an attack at Aknadin's monster, but it evaporates into dark particles and dodges it. The particles form into a round shape and launches itself at Kisara; knocking her down. "Kisara..!" Seto says.

Blue-Eyes goes to fire another attack, "Not so fast!" Aknadin says.

A seal of sorts then comes out of the ground and forms around Blue-Eyes. It reminds me quite a bit of Spellbinding Circle. A Stone Tablet now rises from the ground and tries to suck Blue-Eyes into it. However, it resists. Kisara gets back up to her feet and Seto places a hand on her shoulder, "Stop Kisara!" he says, "You will run out of your life energy."

"It does not matter." She says not looking at him.

"What?"

"I… will protect you Seto."

"What are you doing, Seto?" Aknadin says, "Kill those two and claim the power of the White Dragon and the throne! Then, devote this power to Zorc and become the Dark King!"

"You're wrong!" Seto says, "Aknadin, what logic is there in a world of Dark ruled by Zorc? Since I met Kisara, I realized how much of the world is Dark and dry. The solution to destroy this Dark is through a light called 'love'."

I smile at his words, for he is right. I guess Yami and I could be living proof of that. "Foolish!" Aknadin reaches for the mask covering his face and removes it. Behind it, is his long white hair, tan skin, and bloodshot eye. "And to think that you could surpass the loss which afflicted me!"

"None of us are you tools for revenge!" Seto spits back, "The father I used to be proud of died long ago in the battlefield!"

"Seto-!" Aknadin's creature fires an attack aimed for Seto. Before we can react, Kisara steps in front of him and takes the hit. My jaw drops as I watch her fall into Seto's arms. I glance back up to see that Blue-Eyes is fully sucked into the tablet and an engraving of it appears in it.

"Kisara… please do not leave me." Seto says. Kisara's eyes twitch and she weakly looks up at Seto. She smiles and then her eyes close once again. This time permanently. "Kisara…!"

Aknadin's monster disappears and he slowly begins to walk toward us, "I knew if I attacked, she would take the hit." He says, "The time of the birth of a new King has come! You're the chosen one Seto. Now kill the Pharaoh and Queen so the world may become yours!"

Seto gently places Kisara on the ground and slowly walks toward Aknadin. "Seto, you can't join him!" I say, "How can you after everything he's done?"

Seto's eyes are shadowed and he holds his hands behind his back. "Yes, come my son." Aknadin says.

"My father died during my childhood!" Seto says. He rushes toward Aknadin, pulls out a sword and stabs him in the heart.

"So… this is your answer." Aknadin says as the sword still remains in him, "Your flesh and blood are my inheritance. My son… the one I love from the bottom of my heart. The blood that flows within us both is that of the love and hatred I have toward the Pharaoh. Merge with my soul and we shall become the Dark King! Seto!"

Aknadin's body evaporates into dark particles and swarm around Seto's body. Seto drops the sword in his hand as the particles enter his body. I go to help him, but Seto shoves me backwards. "Seto, what happened to you?" I say.

His eyes are shadowed and he stands there in silence. He glances up toward me, but is eyes still aren't visible, "I think… you should join the other girl." He says in a different tone.

"You're not Seto!"

He smirks and turns toward Kisara. I hear a horse in the background and look up to see Yami riding on it. He jumps off of it and rushes over to me and pulls me into his arms, "Are you alright? I was worried sick over you." He says.

"I am fine." I say stepping away from him, "But Seto is not."

He turns around and looks at Seto who crouches down next to Kisara. Yami slowly approaches him, "Seto, are you alright?"

"I've been waiting for you Pharaoh. The resurrection of Zorc is upon us and once I kill you and your wife, I will become the Dark King." He smirks.

"What are you talking about?"

Seto stands up and now Yami notices Kisara. "This girl… and the Tablet of the Blue-Eyes… what happened here? What has become of Aknadin?!"

"Heheheheh… Pharaoh, I am inside the mind of Seto. This battle will end now. I'll kill the both of you and become the Dark King." I knew Aknadin would pull something like this. Seto's eyes are now visible, but I do not see any compassion within them. Just darkness. "Duel!"

He has a maniacal grin upon his face, which is never a good sign. "Stop this, Seto!" I shout, "You're under his control!"

"For once, my eyes are made clear. I see that the only path I must take is that of Darkness. Come forth, White Dragon!"

The sky turns dark and thunder clouds cover the area. A bolt of blue lightning comes from the clouds and shocks the Tablet of the Blue-Eyes. The tablet gives off a blinding blue light and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon now appears before us. "I'll have no choice but to fight." Yami says, "Come out, Mahad the Dark Magician!"

"Your pitiful Magician is no match for a God like the White Dragon. White Dragon, finish them!"

Blue-Eyes fires an attack toward Mahad, but he counters with his own attack. However, Mahad's attack fails in comparison and is easily wiped out, causing the destruction of Mahad. Yami falls onto his knees holding his chest, "Yami-!" I say.

"I am alright." He says.

I go to raise my DiaDhank to protect us because I know Seto will order his Dragon to attack again. "How pitiful." Seto says, "The Pharaoh at his knees to a clearly superior King. Prepare yourself, son of Aknamkanon!"

"Seto, do you hear me..?" Yami says, "Do you not remember the vow you took to protect Egypt? Is this really how you wish to live? A Dark King under the captivity of a demon?"

"Whatever you say is useless. White Dragon, end this now!" I now realize that even if I try to summon something, it'll be too late. I close my eyes waiting for death to overcome us. Silence. I open my eyes again to see Blue-Eyes isn't doing anything. "White Dragon, why..? Why don't you attack?!"

Blue-Eyes stays still and now begins to disappear into small white sparks of light. "Kisara…" I mutter.

Seto stands in silence and I notice a change in his eyes. The clouds disappear and the sunlight returns. Seto stands in shock and turns toward us, "My King… I-!"

"Say no more Seto." Yami says.

He nods and walks over to Kisara's body that lies next to the Tablet of the Blue-Eyes. He holds her in his arms and I notice tears falling from his eyes. I help Yami back onto his feet and we watch in silence. "Yugi.."

I whip around to see Kaiba standing there in his white trench coat. "Kaiba? You're also in this world?" I say. "How?"

"I've been asking myself the same question, dorks." He says. Yep, that's certainly Kaiba, "Now you two better have an explanation for me. Of why I'm here, why I'm invisible, and why you're in such ridiculous outfits. And before you say it's because of some Ancient Egyptian prophecy, save it. You know I don't believe in that crap. But that guy, and the girl... they look different from the visions I had."

"That man's name is Seto." Yami says, "I don't expect you to believe this, but at least try to understand. We've gone back in time 5000 years ago to our past to relive our memories. Now I'd suggest you get out of here because the Great Evil God Zorc will rise again!"

"I'm not leaving. You're not a Pharaoh, and you're no Queen, but I'd like to see what this terrifying God you speak of looks like."

"You idiot." I say, "You'll be killed, Kaiba."

~.~.~

_"Unbelievable!" Bakura says, "No, I'd rather say useless. I never imagined that the Great Dark Priest could be defeated."_

_"And now, your ambition to make Seto your ally has been crushed." Yami says._

_"Don't be so fast to get delighted, Pharaoh. My Hourglass still flows, and so is the countdown to death. After all, your defeat is quite predictable."_

_Zorc still must be awakened. There is no way to stop it. Except one. I stare at the cartouche around Yami's neck, which remains blank. Yami also looks down at it, realizing this as well. "Well, it seems you've realized the secret to Zorc's sealing." Bakura says._

_"If this is a game Bakura, then all objects have a way of being defeated." I say._

_"Yes, and that key is my own name!" Yami says, "5000 years ago, I used it to seal Zorc away beyond the Realm of the Dead. And that means my name is the very last key you need to resurrect Zorc!"_

_"Unfortunately enough, you don't know what it is." Bakura says, "However, to give you some hope, your friends are currently within your tomb to search for it."_

_"Our friends..." I say._

_"Only the hearts of those that open can enter this world."_

_"Why are you telling us this?" Yami asks._

_"Yes, but so you feel a deal of desperation... my servant will annihilate them as soon as they find it."_

_"Your servant?!"_

_"One of your friend's minds contains a part of my own."_

~Sabrina~

"Just tell us already!" Tristan says, "What did you wish for on the Puzzle?"

Tears begin to well up in Yugi's eyes, "That was... true friends." He says.

"Yugi..." I say. _Even after all this time, I never knew he was that lonely._

Tristan still has his hands on Yugi's shoulders and I notice his grip tightens and then he shoves Yugi backwards. "Hey, what was that for?!" I shout.

"Tristan!" Joey says.

Tristan turns toward the rest of us and shoves us to the ground. I notice Yugi landed on one of the eyes painted on the ground, while we're on the other one. Tristan smirks as he also walks over to the three of us, "Hey, what's wrong wit you?!" Joey yells.

As Tristan steps onto the eye, the ground begins to tremor. The floor cracks and crumbles around us until all that's left is the balance beam we're on. The balance beam begins to start moving in a circular motion and nothing but a pit of a dark death waits below us. Joey, Tea, and I get to our feet, and then a white light appears on the wall opposite of the door. Another doorway appears on that side.

"There's the real room where the Pharaoh's name is located." Tristan says, "So it's your choice; his name, or all of us."

I glance down at the long fall below, "Just do it Yugi!" I shout, "We'll survive!"

"I can't… I could never do such a thing." He says.

"I've noticed that Yugi." Tristan says, "You're too kind to sacrifice your friends. So, I'll make your choice for you."

Tristan runs off the balance beam and jumps off of it onto the doorway to the Pharaoh's name. The balance beam now begins to tilt down on Yugi's side, and I have to really struggle to keep my footing. "Yugi! Run!" Joey shouts.

Yugi nods and runs over to our side. Joey faces the doorway and jumps toward it. He clutches the ledge and Tea soon follows. I jump next and grab the ledge also. Yugi finally jumps off at the last second and grabs onto Joey. I look down and see the balance beam falling below. My hands begin to slip from the ledge, but I manage to pull myself up. Tea, Joey, and Yugi pull themselves up next. "Let's go!" Yugi says.

We nod and run through the doorway. It's a small hallway and I can see light coming from the end of it. The four of us reach the end of the hallway and find a solid gold room. "There it is… the real name of the Pharaoh." Yugi says.

In the back of the room is a large golden engraving of a cartouche with symbols written on it. "Um, it says bird, rock, lambchop, bird, and a bigger bird." Joey says, "I've got it memorized."

I study the symbols just as I did with Ari's name. "Hey, where's Tristan?" I ask.

"Hey guys, look." Tea says. There's a section of the floor that's been moved and a staircase lies underneath it. We start to walk down the staircase and I see an opening up ahead.

"When I see Tristan, I'm gonna beat him up." Joey mutters. We reach another room which is empty, except for a bridge connecting this side to the other one.

Out from the other side of the room walks Tristan, "I thought you were dead." He says, "I guess you all don't quit."

"What's wrong with you Tristan?!" Joey yells.

"You don't understand it yet." Tristan's body ripples for a second until the dark Bakura takes his place.

"Bakura?! You were controlling Tristan?" I say.

He smirks, "Now the real fun begins. It's time to duel, Yugi."

Duel Disks then appear on both of their arms.

~Ari~ 

_"Unfortunately, my pawn could duel Yugi and win with one hand tied behind his back." Bakura says, "Oh, and look at that; the last sand of the Hourglass has fallen."_

_We're too late. Zorc has come._

**So for once, I was able to actually watch a Japanese episode (I get dialogue from the wikia) and I was also watching the English version on another tab. So Seto actually did stab Aknadin (you'd be surprised at how demonic he sounds), apparently, which was epic, and I cried when Seto wept over Kisara in the Jap version, not the English. Got bored of the Jap version near the end, but I suppose it's better than the crap 4Kids was feeding everyone. **


	27. Zorc's Resurrection

~Sabrina~

"Huh? A Duel Disk?" Yugi says staring at his arm.

"Yes, we shall duel to see if you exit this tomb or not." Bakura says, "If you win, then you'll be able to tell the Pharaoh his name, however, your souls will be mine once I win. For my victory shall be an easy one because you don't have that alter-ego to bail you out."

"Are you sure you want to do this Yugi?" I ask. Truth is, I know he wants to, for I can see a real determination in his eyes.

"Sabrina's right, Yug'." Joey says, "Bakura, what have ya done wit Tristan?!"

"Oh yes, I believe you remember that short encounter I had with him before." Bakura says, "That time, I had prepared to use him and he's been under my control ever since." It all makes sense now. That's why Tristan has been annoyed and so determined. "Now I suggest we duel now if you wish to see him again."

"Alright, let's duel!" Yugi says.

~Ari~

_I watch from the Game Table as the Priests try to escape from Kul Elna. However, the earth begins to shake and the sky turns black. The Tablet of the Realm of the Dead rises into the air with Bakura standing a top it. His body, along with Diabound, now dissipates and I know what comes next. "Behold, the Evil God Zorc!" Bakura says._

_ The Table glows in a pinkish color and we watch as the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead lets off the same color and cracks to pieces, scattering the Items. The earth cracks and flames rise as Zorc himself comes from the earth itself. He's a huge purple demon that comes equips with wings upon his back, horns coming from his head, claws from his hands and feet, and fangs from his mouth. There's a dragon head from below his stomach and his eyes represent the very color of blood rubies. "Yes, my final pawn has come into play!" Bakura says, "Zorc, kill anyone that dares get in your way!"_

_Zorc holds his arms together and charges an attack within it aimed at the Priests. No, please don't let them die! The attack fires, but Hassan blocks it. As Hassan continues to block the attack, the Priests flee Kul Elna and Zorc fires a second attack to finish off Hassan. His body falls limply to the ground and grows still. _

~Sabrina~

"Well, it seems Zorc has been resurrected. Too bad you're down here, while the Pharaoh and Queen are up there facing his wrath." Bakura says.

"Alright, let's go!" Yugi says, "First I play one card face-down and then I'll play a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Pathetic. Now then, I play my Doomcaliber Knight in attack mode! Say farewell to your face-down monster!"

"You've revealed my Marshmallon and now witness his effect! You're Life Points drop by 1000 each time you attack him and it can't be destroyed by battle! So now you're left at 3000 Life Points!"

"Your dessert topping doesn't scare me. I play one card face-down and end my turn."

~Ari~

Off in the distance, we can see Zorc walking toward the palace, which is probably miles away from here. "There Kaiba, you've seen Zorc. You can leave now." I say.

"Yes, you're in danger here." Yami adds.

"Look, I'm staying put. I want to see that guy in action and see how terrifying you make him out to be." Kaiba says, "And I don't even _know _how to get out of here."

I turn back toward Seto, who kneels next to Kisara. He takes his cape from his back and covers her body with it and I hear him mutter something. Seto stands up and turns to us, "Pharaoh, Queen, we must go." He says.

Yami turns toward Kaiba, "What will you do?" he asks.

"I'm not taking orders from you, if that's what you're asking." Kaiba says.

"Do as you wish Kaiba." I say.

Yami and I approach Seto and we walk toward the horse Yami came here on. The three of us jump onto Yami's horse (which I'm not going to lie, it's difficult having three people on it) and ride through the desert. Luckily, Zorc walks rather slowly, so we're able to get ahead of him. We approach the main city to see catapults and soldiers lined along the cliff before the city. The Priests wait among them, so we stop and jump off of the horse by them. "Are all of you alright?" Isis asks, "What has become of Aknadin?"

"His fate was decided. He no longer lingers among us." Seto says.

"Zorc is heading our way." Yami says, "Prepare…" he begins to fall over, but I manage to catch him in time before he hits the ground.

"Pharaoh!" Seto says, "You are much too weak by now. Please let me redeem myself and handle this."

Yami smiles as I help him up, "I'm counting on you, Seto."

Seto nods. The Priests, Yami, and I stand back as the soldiers step forward, along with Seto. Within time, I can see the body of Zorc coming this way, "He's coming!" a soldier shouts.

Seto steps forward and turns toward the soldiers, "Listen up! We must not allow that demon to pass through us at any cost, even with that of our lives!"

"Yeah! For the Pharaoh!" the soldiers yell.

~Sabrina~

"Alright, I'll play this card face-down!" Yugi says, "And I'll summon Silent Swordsman in attack mode!" This deck is so different from Yugi's normal one, but it almost seems to suit him in a better manner, "Now I reveal Marshmallon Glasses, and so long as your monster is wearing them, you can only attack my Marshmallon! I end my turn."

"Very well, I activate Negate Defense, now your Marshmallon is put into attack mode!" Bakura says, "Now, attack!"

Yugi is dropped to 2400 Life Points, but Marshmallon isn't destroyed. Bakura sets a card and end his turn.

~Ari~

I look on as Zorc continues to grow closer. Every step he takes results in death and destruction. Even just walking past a pond can drain it, or past a tree then it will wilt. "Shoot!" Seto commands.

The catapults launch spears and rocks in Zorc's direction. Even before they touch him, they evaporate into thin air. "That monster…" Seto says, "Do not hold back! Shoot!"

"Pathetic bugs." Zorc says. The very earth seems to shake at the sound of his voice, which represents the very meaning of darkness. He raises his arm into the air, causing our catapults and weapons to shatter and dust to fly into the air. _This destruction will never end._

~.~.~

_"Stop this, Bakura!" Yami shouts._

_"Heh, why stop during the fun?" Bakura smirks. The Game Table lets off a small shock of lightning and the setting around us changes to modern day. Everything has descended into chaos and the world is falling apart._

_"That's…." I stutter._

_"It'd seem that our little Game has linked into the real world!"_

_"What do you mean?" Yami asks._

_"This deserves the name of 'Ultimate Dark Game', for it exceeds my expectations, but I don't mind. Having found your real name, I was planning to unleash Zorc into the real world, but the Game has handled that for me. For both worlds are interconnected! And everyone will be destroyed by the Dark! AHAHAHA!"_

_Zorc must be stopped. This madness is getting out of hand._

~.~.~

Zorc's horns light up and send another attack toward our army. This destroys every last weapon in front of us and the casualties pile up. "If this continues…" Shada says.

"Seto, we must retreat to regain our forces!" Yami says.

"Monster…" Seto mutters, "Retreat!"

~Sabrina~

"My move, and now my Silent Swordsman moves to level 1!" Yugi says.

"Just a moment!" Bakura says, "Activate Call of the Earthbound! And I'll also activate my Zoma the Spirit card, which turns into a monster! Silent Swordsman, I force you to attack Zoma! And since Zoma was destroyed, you lose Life Points equal to double the attack of your monster!"

"I was waiting for something like this; activate Turn Jump! This lets me skip this battle phase, so therefore, I take no damage! And that's not all; it also changes Silent Swordsman to a level 4 monster! Now, attack! And Marshmallon, direct attack!"

Bakura is dropped to 1600 Life Points. Yugi has really changed. Before, he dealt on Yami to duel for him, but now, he duels with the same confidence. It was similar for me how Ari dueled, but I recall being able to duel on my own a few times. Yugi is different; he's gotten stronger.

~Ari~

We head to another farther part of the city, next to the gates, but Zorc still approaches. "If he is not defeated soon, then our world will be consumed in darkness!" Shimon says, "Then this eternal curse will never be lifted."

Zorc now stands directly before us and towers over us, "Priests, gather your strongest monsters!" Seto says. I would do so, I but I look to my DiaDhank and realize that I'd die before I'd even get to fire an attack against Zorc. Mana summons Dark Magician Girl, Isis has Spiria, Shada with Two-Headed Jackal Warrior, and Seto summons Duos.

"It's stupid to attack me," Zorc says, "No matter the number of Creatures you summon." All of the monsters fire their attacks against Zorc, but in vain. His eyes glow deep red, "Don't you ever give up? Disappear, pathetic bugs!"

Zorc raises his hand again and sends an attack toward us. Spiria is able to protect us, but our soldiers aren't that lucky. _Zorc's power… it's unreal. _The clouds begin to thunder and I look up to see lightning forming. A strike of lightning hits and just before I realize its target is Yami, Shada pushes him out of the way and takes the hit.

His DiaDhank crumbles and he now lies on the ground within the verge of death. His robes are singed off and his body lies stiff. "Shada… Hold on!" Yami shouts.

"Pharaoh… I'm glad you're safe." Shada says weakly.

His body lies motionless and his eyes close. _Shada… no. I praise him for saving Yami but… This pain, Zorc has done enough. _Yami stands back to his feet and clutches his hands into fists, "Shada… I have no other option."

**I tried to 'child proof' Zorc's description because we all know about… that. And I actually found a website where I can watch the Jap. version in like boss quality and that doesn't glitch and remove the screen image every two seconds, so now I'm happy. **


	28. Exodia Revived

~Ari~

Zorc now walks through the city and half of it has caught fire. Seto steps forward to the remaining catapults and soldiers "Don't let up!" he commands, "If he manages to pass, then the Royal Palace will be his next target!"

~.~.~

_"What a good feeling!" Bakura says, "Which world will be destroyed first? But I suppose I must thank you. If the Millennium Puzzle wasn't assembled, then none of this would be possible. How an ironic destiny! All things related to your destiny will soon be swallowed by darkness."_

_"You may be right…" Yami says, "If I hadn't come back, then Zorc's resurrection wouldn't be possible. But that's why you must lose. Everything done by my hands will be finished by them as well!"_

_"Very well. Let's see how long your arrogance lasts."_

~.~.~

Zorc continues to attack, but this time aims for the palace walls. Cracks begin to form within them, but they aren't yet brought down. "Pharaoh, Zorc is truly too strong!" Shimon says, "If this continues, we'll have no chance of winning."

"But…" Yami says.

"There is only one hope left… The Gods must end this."

"That isn't possible." I say, "He doesn't have the energy to summon the Gods without the Puzzle."

"But it is certainly the only way to defeat Zorc."

"Let's get back to the Millennium Items." Isis says turning to face us.

"But the Items have been scattered around the desert when the Table cracked." Shimon says, "Will we be able to find them in time?"

"Well, I'll go get them!" Yami says.

"No, you are needed here to motivate our soldiers." Isis says.

"Then I'll go." I say, "Finding them shouldn't be that hard."

"No." Yami says grabbing my wrist, "It'll be too dangerous."

"Pharaoh, I'll go with her." Isis says, "Spiria will easily be able to locate them."

"Yeah! And I'll come too!" Mana says running to us, "I'll take the place of my master and do my best!"

Shimon exchanges a glance with Yami. Yami nods, "Alright, we're counting on you. Isis, Mana, I expect that my wife will return safely." He says.

"You can count on us!" Mana says.

"Leave by the south." Seto turns to us, "I'll call Zorc's attention away from you."

"Seto. Alright, let's go." Isis says.

Yami turns to me, "Promise to be careful?" he says.

"I'll do my best." I say.

He smiles and then kisses me, "Good luck."

Isis, Mana, and I now run to the south side of the palace. Zorc doesn't notice, for Seto has already launched a massive attack on him. We reach the south end of the palace and Isis holds up her DiaDhank, "Come forth, Guardian of the Fortress!" she says.

I notice the gauge on her DiaDhank drops even lower as the blue dragon appears. Isis drops to her knees, "Isis, are you alright?" I ask crouching next to her.

"Yes… let's go." She says.

Mana and I help her to her feet and the three of us jump onto the dragon. We fly off with Spiria close by, and luckily Zorc doesn't take notice.

~Sabrina~

"Who knew you'd last this long!" Bakura says.

"I won't lose. The Pharaoh and Queen are counting on us." Yugi says.

"So you say. Activate Sacred Sword of Sealing! Now I chose to remove that Silent Swordsman of yours from the game. Next I summon the Disgraced Mage in attack mode and use it to attack that dessert topping of yours!" Yugi is brought to 1000 Life Points, but Marshmallon isn't destroyed, "What a pity. If your monster was sent to the Graveyard, then your Swordsman would return to the field. Too bad, you missed a great opportunity. Hahahaha! You humans are so foolish!"

_Humans? But… he's one as well. Or, what really IS he? _ The Bakura standing before us seems different from the one we knew from inside the Ring. "Even if my Swordsman's attack won't increase, I'll still win this!" Yugi says, "I'll summon my Blocken in defense mode and end my turn!"

_Only 300 defense? What is Yugi planning? _"Your deck is so pathetic. Let's end this, Disgraced Mage, attack his Marshmallon!"

"Activate Blocken's special ability! When one of my monsters is attacked, I can redirect it at my Blocken. It's still destroyed, but my Life Points are safe. And since a monster was sent to the Graveyard-!"

"Not so fast! You forget about my monster's ability. Disgraced Mage sends your Blocken to your deck instead of the Graveyard!"

"But since Blocken was removed from the field, I can use its ability to summon Lengard in attack mode." Bakura sets three cards face-down and ends his turn.

~Ari~

We start to fly over the rubble of Kul Elna. It looks even worse than it originally did; it doesn't even look like it was once a village. "The Millennium Items…" Mana says.

"I've found them!" Isis says.

I follow her gaze to see shimmers of gold coming from the sand. Guardian of the Fortress lands and I jump off and head for the Items, with Isis and Mana behind me. I search through the rubble and eventually find the Pendant. I pick it up and place it around my neck. I can feel my energy returning and my DiaDhank's gauge is fully recharged. I notice Isis has picked up the Necklace and I start searching for the other Items.

Mana picks up most of them and stuffs them into a brown sack. I look back to her, "Do you have all of them?" I ask.

"We're missing one…" she says.

I somehow know which one she refers to. I start throwing around the chunks of rubble until I see a shimmer of gold. I dig it out and pull the Millennium Puzzle from the sand. _At last, we have them all._

~Sabrina~

"It's my turn!" Yugi says, "Marshmallon, attack his Disgraced Mage!"

"You choose to kill yourself?" Bakura says. Marshmallon attacks, but nothing happens, "Wha-what was that?"

"My Marshmallon still isn't destroyed. Using the ability of my Lengard, it decreases all battle damage I would've taken, so long as I send it to the Graveyard. And since a monster was put into the Graveyard, my Silent Swordsman returns to the field! Now attack his Disgraced Mage!"

"You forget its second ability! By sending it and my entire hand to my deck, I can negate any battle damage I would've taken. And it seems to be my turn again! First, I'll activate Pot of Greed! Then I'll activate my face-down; Cursed Twin Dolls! Each player must choose a box; red or black. One is cursed. So Yugi, which will you choose?"

"… I choose the red box!"

"In that case, I take the black box. The effect of the red box is… you should be happy Yugi. Its effect is that each time a card is sent to the Graveyard, you gain 200 Life Points."

"Then what is the effect of the black box?"

"Heheh… Thanks for the curse. The person who chose the black box loses his Graveyard." The monsters and cards from within his Graveyard now appear behind him on the field, "Since I have no Graveyard, the monsters destroyed are put in ghost shape. But don't worry; they do not take part on the field. They cannot hurt you. Now I summon Necro Soldier in defense mode! Your end is coming."

~Ari~

We quickly approach the city to see that Zorc hasn't demolished everything… yet. "We've made it in time!" Mana says.

"Yes, but what if Zorc sees us?" I say

The army continues its assault onto Zorc, but in vain. Zorc turns his head as we draw nearer to the palace. He now turns to face us, "I feel the presence of the Millennium Items…" he says, "What an ingenious feint."

The dragon head upon him begins to charge an attack and fires, but we dodge it. I clutch onto Guardian of the Fortress for dear life as we dodge each one of his attacks. We swerve around the city and finally land. "Get down." Isis says, "I'll act as a lure."

"No, you can't fight him alone." I say.

"Yes, I want to fight with you!" Mana says.

"Your job is to bring the Items to the Pharaoh. And he expects you to return alive." Isis glances at me, "Protecting our Pharaoh is the Priests job. Mahad, Karim, and Shada would all know that; for their lives have been taken for that cause."

"But-!" Mana says with tears in her eyes.

"Go."

I sadly nod and jump off of the dragon. Mana shortly follows with the brown sack on her back. We run toward the palace and I look back for a moment to see Guardian of the Fortress and Spiria being blown up. _Isis… you served your purpose. _We keep running until we see Shimon up ahead, "Shimon!" Mana cries, "Isis.. is-!"

She fails to complete the sentence and falls onto her knees sobbing. I place a hand on her shoulder, "Mana, she chose that sacrifice." I say, "But we have a job to complete."

Shimon reaches into the sack and pulls out the Millennium Key, "W-what are you doing?" Mana asks.

"I'm keeping this." He says, "Before Shada, I was the first holder of the Millennium Key. Now hurry and get to the Pharaoh!"

Mana gets to her feet, grabs the sack, and we continue running in the way Shimon came from. Moments later, a bright red light comes from in front of Zorc. I look up to see a monster rising from the ground that I'd recognize anywhere. Exodia. Exodia breaks the chains biding it and begins to fight Zorc. The two seem almost equally matched, but then Exodia rips Zorc's arm clean off. But another arm just grows right back into place. Zorc returns the favor, but Exodia's arm grows back as well.

Exodia now uses his signature attack that and fires it at Zorc. "These flames won't be enough to destroy me!" Zorc says, "I am the invincible Zorc!"

He fires an air slash toward Exodia, which results in its immediate destruction. _So Shimon has lost the fight as well. _We come up to the clearing where the catapults, Seto and Yami are waiting. "Yami!" I shout.

He turns around and runs to up to hug me, "Are you alright?" he asks.

"Yes, and we found the Items."

Mana runs up to us and reaches into the sack. She pulls out the Puzzle and holds it out to Yami, "The Millennium Puzzle-!" he says taking it, "To bring this, Isis and Shimon have paid the ultimate price." He now steps forward and faces Zorc, "Zorc, I'll fight for the lives of everyone who has lost there's and bring light to this world! This world will not be consumed by Darkness!"


	29. Awaken the Gods

~Sabrina~

"According to the effect of my black cursed box, my Graveyard is no more." Bakura says, "Every card will appear in ghost form on my field. But not to worry, Yugi, they can't harm you."

"It's my turn." Yugi says.

"Not so fast, Yugi. The effect of my Necro Soldier allows me to summon another one in defense mode, and then my newest edition will also spawn a third Necro Soldier."

"I play my Silent Magician in attack mode! Every time my opponent draws a card, it will gain one level and increase its attack power. Marshmallon, Silent Swordsman, Silent Magician, attack his Necro Soldiers!" two of the Soldiers are destroyed, but the third remains, "Why..?"

"I activated a Narrow Corridor. This prevents you from attacking no more than twice per turn. Too bad. No matter how many monsters you summon, only two pathetic attacks can be made. And yes, as you can see my two destroyed monsters return in ghost form."

So no matter how many monsters Yugi attacks, they'll just come back. But, what is the purpose of this strategy? "Now I will activate Counterbalance." Bakura says, "Now whenever someone's turn comes to a close, the opponent must send a number of cards from their deck to the Graveyard depending on how many monsters are on their opponent's side of the field. But since I lack a Graveyard, the rules do not apply to me! I play Necro Mannequin in defense mode. Now I play Necro Cycle! With this, I can summon another Necro Mannequin to the field! So Yugi, how many monsters do I have on the field? You shall soon taste the Counterbalance! I end my turn!"

~Ari~

"Pharaoh, let me handle…!" Seto starts.

"No, I will handle this." Yami says.

"But-!"

"I believe. I believe in the future and my companions. Their sacrifices won't be in vain! Zorc! I won't let you do as you like anymore! I'll use the power of the Gods to defeat you!" He places the Puzzle around his neck, which creates a bright golden light, "Come forth, Egyptian Gods!"

The earth beings to rumble and I look over to see Yami's tablet shrine shoot a tri-colored light from the roof. The light travels behind Zorc and Obelisk the Tormentor rises from the cracked earth. Slifer the Sky Dragon arrives next and charges at Zorc, causing him to stumble. The Winged Dragon of Ra finally comes last from the clouds.

~.~.~

_"Looks like the outcome of the battle isn't certain anymore, Bakura!" Yami says._

_"Psh… you summoned the Egyptian Gods." Bakura says, "It seems we've reached the last turn of the game! This table isn't necessary anymore! And the fate of the world will count on the outcome of this battle. I no longer need this body. I shall take the appearance of my true and original form!"_

_I glance to the Game Table to see an image of Zorc appear. "So the truth comes." I say, "You are… Zorc!"_

_"HAHAHAHA!" Bakura laughs as his body glows in a dark aura, "Let us return to the battlefield and end this!"_

A dark orb appears above the table and sucks us into it. I open my eyes to find my soul in the pawn of the Queen, or my pawn. I glance to see Yami has gone into his own pawn as well, and Bakura's soul merges with his true form. "Great Evil God!" Yami says, "I will defeat you with the power of the Gods!"

Zorc turns to the Egyptian Gods, "Come! Pathetic Gods!" he says, "Don't you think you'll be able to trump darkness' power!"

"Obelisk, go! Unleash the anger of the earth on this wicked God!" Obelisk charges and rams into Zorc with his left shoulder, causing Zorc to fall to the ground in a heap of dust. He gets back up to his feet, "Now Slifer, inflict the judgment of sky on this wicked God!" Slifer flies up higher and launches his _Lightning Blast _attack onto Zorc, which hits head-on. "Lastly, Winged Dragon of Ra, use your light to make the darkness vanish!" Ra flaps its wings briskly and creates a long, thin tornado in the sky. The tornado transforms into a beam of light, which hits Zorc, making him roar loudly. "Now, the final blow! Simultaneous attack! Complete annihilation!"

All three Gods charge up their greatest attacks and launch them at Zorc. First, are Obelisk's _Fist of Fate, _then Slifer's _Thunder Force, _and lastly, Ra's _God Phoenix Mode. _ Ra charges straight at Zorc, causing a wave of wind and a blast of energy to cover the area, sending us all backwards. I get back up to my feet, with the others doing the same. "Did it work..?" Seto asks.

I do not see Zorc, but something tells me he's still here. A crater lies in the earth with thin lines of smoke emerging from it, then evaporating. My eyes glance upwards to see the dark clouds rolling away and the sun making itself visible again. The entire kingdom now stands in sunlight once again. "You did it!" Mana says.

"No…" Yami says as the earth begins to shake again, "He's coming back!"

Out of the earth, comes an outstretched arm that could only belong to one Evil God. The arm reaches up higher and the sun begins to turn to darkness. "But… Zorc is causing a solar eclipse!" I say.

Darkness waves over the kingdom once again, but the bright sky remains for the moment. "Egyptian Gods!" Yami shouts, "Knock down Zorc before Darkness completely covers the earth!"

Ra goes to fly up to Zorc, but his arm classes onto Ra's leg. Ra tries to free itself, but only rises Zorc above ground and continues to fly higher. Obelisk grabs onto Zorc's own leg and flies into the air with them. Ra frees itself, but Zorc still remains in midair with Obelisk grabbing his leg,"Darkness is in my hands!" Zorc shouts.

The solar eclipse completely covers the sun now and the sky remains dark. "Slifer! Ra!" Yami shouts.

Slifer charges an attack and fires it while Ra goes into _Phoenix Mode _and charges. A fiery burst of flames surrounds Zorc, while he blocks the attack from Slifer, "It's useless!" he says, "My power of darkness now overwhelms your power of light! Darkness, obliterate the Gods! Dark Slash!"

A dark wave emits from Zorc's body and forces itself from his body. The wave hits Slifer, causing it to turn to stone and fall to the ground. Ra becomes the next victim and turns to stone as well. Obelisk is the last to fall and releases from Zorc's leg. "Slifer..! Ra..! Obelisk..!" Yami says.

"This… can't be. The Gods are the most powerful beasts in creation!" I say.

Zorc still flies in midair and faces us, "HAHAHA! Your Gods have become stone statues!" Zorc lowers to the ground and stands over the statue of Obelisk, "And have been crushed like your hope!"

With that said, he stands upon Obelisk, causing him to burst into pieces. Yami falls onto his knees and coughs, "Yami..! Please be alright!" I say.

~Sabrina~

"My turn!" Yugi says.

"Necro Cycle remains activate, so I gain another Necro Mannequin. Now my total is up to 11! My number will only grow, because every monster will come back in ghost form! So, what will you do?" Bakura smirks.

"Silent Swordsman, attack his Necro Soldier! And my Silent Magician to attack Necro Mannequin!"

"What a cruel act! And also useless! The time has come. Send your cards to the Graveyard already." Yugi takes 11 cards from his deck and discards them all. "Only 17 cards are left in your deck. But you should be glad, no? Since you chose the red box of the Cursed Twin Dolls, the effect allows you to gain 200 Life Points per card discarded. Now you've reached 3200. My turn! I play Necro Wall in defense mode! Now I can use its effect to summon two more Necro Walls! There are a total of 14 monsters. My turn is done."

"My move! Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician, attack the two Necro Wall tokens! Now I activate Aria from Beyond to take the effect of your Spirit Sword of Sealing and use it as Aria's effect! I'll target my Silent Swordsman Level 7! I end my turn."

By using the Sword of Sealing, it reduces the number of monsters on the field back to 11. "If that's the case, then send 11 cards to your Graveyard, Yugi." Yugi has only 5 cards left! Sure he has 5400 Life Points now, but Bakura's strategy is just eating away at Yugi. "Your deck will be completely destroyed next turn. It's my move. It would be better to end my turn and let you self-destruct, but I think I'll end this now. I summon my Necro Jar in attack mode! Attack the Silent Magician!"

The Silent Magician easily destroys it and Bakura is left at 200 Life Points. "I have 200 Life Points left now. I've got you! Activation of Necro Jar's ability! When it's destroyed, the opponent must discard one card for every 300 points of damage the opponent lost. Yugi! Send 4 cards to your Graveyard!"

Four?! Yugi only has one card left now! Yugi is up to 6200 Life Points. Due to Necro Wall's effect, two Necro Wall tokens appear on the field. "This should be the end, Yugi." Bakura says, "And since your Silent Swordsman has left the field, there is nothing you can do! There are now 14 monsters, and you have one card left. You can't do anything. You truly are weak. Can't you do anything without the Pharaoh?"

Yugi stands in complete silence with shock on his face and eyes starting to water. "Yugi, you can't listen to him!" I shout, "The Pharaoh would never give up on you, so you have to return the favor and keep fighting for him!"

This seems to snap Yugi back into the game, "Yes… I will never give up! My move!" he says, "I'm putting all of my hope in this last card!"

"Ha! What can you do with only one card?" Bakura says.

Yugi looks at the card he drew and smiles, "Now I sacrifice my Marshmallon and my Silent Magician to summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction! Bakura, this will be the end of your destructive combo! Gandora, Gigas Rays!"

**I got a tad bit busy lately. I freaking love the Jap. version. I've now abandoned the English one and went all Jap. For some reason Pokémon Advanced in Spanish is on TV also, and I'm in a part of America where Spanish is almost non-existant. I'm having a language overload of Japanese, Spanish, and English. **


	30. Deteriorating Hope

~Ari~

Yami still sits at his knees while Zorc roars in victory. He begins to slowly approach the statue of the Winged Dragon of Ra. _Oh no, please don't. I'm not sure if Yami can take it. _Zorc now stands directly in front of Ra. _Don't do it! _Too late. Zorc quickly punches Ra in the face, causing the head to crumble to pieces and fall to the ground. Yami coughs up blood and begins to lean forward. I catch him before he reaches the ground. He's not yet unconscious; he's pulling through for now. "Come on Yami, you can't leave us. Or me. You've got to pull through." I say holding him.

He doesn't answer, just stays in silent pain. Tears begin to drop from Mana's face, which I'm sure will trigger some of my own soon. Zorc now turns toward us and laughs in his corrupt voice, "I am invincible!" he says, "You'll never be able to defeat me!"

He begins to slowly approach us and there's nothing we can do. The soldiers around us begin to speak, of how we're outmatched. Most exclaim there is no hope. "Run away!" one shouts.

With that said, all of the soldiers retreat into the city as Zorc grows nearer. "Wait!" Seto shouts, "Don't leave! We must fight until the end!"

Nobody listens. Zorc laughs once again, "Yes, run away! Run away!" he mocks.

The dragon head on him then fires an attack on the city, causing us to see the smoke coming from it. "My Queen, you must retreat to the royal palace." Seto says, "Bring the Pharaoh with you. Mana, you must go too. I'll stop Zorc by myself."

"Seto…" I say.

"Go, hurry!"

I nod and lift Yami's body up and swing one of his arms around my shoulder. I slowly walk to the palace as I drag Yami along, who has now fallen unconscious. Mana tries to help me carry him, but I keep telling her that I'm fine doing it myself. Once we're about halfway through the city, I hear a roar I could recognize anywhere. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. I don't look back to witness the fight for there is no time. However, judging by Zorc's yells he seems to be losing.

I hear Blue-Eyes charge an attack and fire it. This time, Zorc yells louder, so I glance over to see one of his arms fly up and hit the ground. As it does so, the solar eclipse begins to fade a bit and light covers us. _I guess we've all underestimated Blue-Eyes. _I keep walking, but a moment later, I hear a scream coming from Blue-Eyes this time. I turn back to see Zorc re-grow his arm, grab Blue-Eyes, and turn it to stone. Zorc does not hesitate to rip its neck off.

Darkness covers over us again as Mana and I make it to the palace. We enter the palace and head up to one of the large balconies to keep an eye on Zorc's progress. I lay Yami on the ground and stare up at the city, which Zorc is turning into a pile of flames. A burst of blue light appears in the middle of the city and a bronze-colored Blue-Eyes appears. _Th-this can't be. It was destroyed. Unless… no._ I stand up and look down at the city and see a person standing below Blue-Eyes. He wears a bright white trench coat that makes him stand out greatly, "K-Kaiba?" I say.

"I see." Zorc says. He's not yelling, but his voice is still really loud, "You are Seto Kaiba. You too, came to this world to try and oppose me?"

I can tell Kaiba is talking, and even though it seems he's yelling I can't hear him from this distance. Blue-Eyes begins to change form and ripple until it forms one of Kaiba's best monsters. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. It's still bronze-colored, but its _Burst Stream Attack _remains the same powerful blue. To my surprise, but also not, Blue-Eyes' attack hits Zorc and actually knocks him down. "Darn you!" he shouts, "Prepare to vanish just like your Blue-Eyes!"

Zorc charges an attack at Blue-Eyes, but the Ultimate Dragon counters with its own attack, which seems equal to Zorc's.

~Sabrina~

"Now I sacrifice Marshmallon and my Silent Magician to summon Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction!" Yugi says, "Bakura, this will be the end of your destructive combo! Gandora, Gigas Rays!"

The bright red lights coming from Gandora end up destroying each and every one of the cards on Bakura's field. "An effect monsters that destroys every card..?" Bakura says.

"But because I used his ability, Gandora gets destroyed too! And since my monster was sent to the Graveyard, my Silent Swordsman comes back to the field! Silent Swordsman, attack!"

Silent Swordsman uses his slash attack to bring Bakura's Life Points to 0. In the process of the attack, Bakura spits up a handful of blood. "I…I… never thought… that I could be defeated by this weak…" Bakura stutters.

"I won the duel!" Yugi says.

Bakura chuckles quietly, "But, it was enough to slow you down." _A setup?!_ "The Pharaoh's life energy is wasting away. The Queen will soon follow in his footsteps. If either one of them dies, the game will be over, and my victory will be in place."

Bakura laughs and then collapses. His body reverts back to Tristan, "Tristan!" Tea says.

The four of us rush up to him and Joey kneels next to him, "Come on buddy, get up!" he says, "This ain't a time to be nappin'!"

Tristan opens his eyes and gets up, "Eh? Where is this place?" he asks, "Why am I here?"

"Ya didn't notice Bakura was controllin' your mind?! Idiot! We coulda died or somethin' because of you!"

"But it's alright now." Tea says, "Yugi defeated him."

Tristan's eyes widen and he turns to Yugi, "Thanks Yugi." He says.

"No problem." Yugi says.

"Okay, now let's get out of here." I say, "We need to find the Pharaoh and Queen."

A scratching sound appears and the chamber vibrates for a second. _What could that be?_ We start to run out of the opposite doorway and head up a stairwell. We reach the end of the tunnel to find that we're standing on a cliff. "Now what?" Tristan asks.

"Just slide down." Joey says.

We slide down the cliff and reach the bottom. I look up to see a few people of Bakura's army on their horses in front of us. "Guys, I think we're going to have to deal with more stalling." I say.

Tristan yells and then charges toward the soldiers. "Ah, what are you doing?" Yugi says.

"I have to pay for the trouble I've caused!" he shouts back.

He charges at one of the soldiers and knocks him off of his horse. Joey now chases after him, but one of the soldiers slashes their sword toward him, while Joey puts his arms up to block it. I blink and then sword flies into the air. Joey looks down at his left arm, "A Duel Disk?" he says.

"I get it!" Yugi says, "In this world, what we imagine becomes reality!"

"Alright, me too!" Tristan says as a Duel Disk appears on his arm as well.

"Go, Gearfried! Flame Swordsman!" Joey says.

"Lava and Swamp Battle guards!" Tristan says.

The monsters fight off the soldiers, but more of them appear and now we're surrounded. "Okay guys, I got it." Yugi says, "Imagine yourselves flying toward the Pharaoh and Queen!"

We nod and I try to picture such a thing happening. A burst of dust surrounds us and we fly into the air with a golden light outlining our bodies. "You know, we could've probably just made those guys disappear." Tristan says.

"Hey yeah!" Joey says, "Disappear! Disappear!"

Nothing happens to the soldiers. "Guys, we got away, what more do you need?" I say.

"Yeah, let's go find the Pharaoh and Queen!"

~Ari~

The two attacks coming from Zorc and the Ultimate Dragon seem almost equal and send a large burst of energy into the clouds. The clouds shift and change until an image of modern day Egypt appears. "Thanks to you, a new road is opening for me!" Zorc shouts, "But Kaiba, the one path for you only results in death!"

Zorc's attack grows stronger and shifts toward the Ultimate Dragon a bit more. "My Queen, what should we do?" Mana asks.

I snap back from watching the battle and look toward Yami. He still lies unconscious, but we need him for this fight. I try to think of things I could do when something hits me, "I have an idea." I say. I reach down and touch Yami's DiaDhank. The energy level on it is almost all the way drained. I begin to transfer my full energy level into his DiaDhank, but give myself enough energy to remains conscious.

Yami's eyes begin to twitch and he opens them and sits up, "Ugh… where am I?" he asks. Yami looks up and sees the Ultimate Dragon fighting Zorc. He gets onto his feet and stares at it, "That monster…"

"After Seto's defeat, Kaiba just showed up out of nowhere." I say.

Yami's gaze goes down to where Kaiba is and then looks up at the portal forming between the past and present. "We don't have much time. Mana, give me the Millennium Scale."

"A-alright," Mana says digging through the sack, "Here."

"This last attack will have to take all of my strength left. Karim, lend me your strength!" the Puzzle, Scale, and his DiaDhank begin to glow.

Yami then jumps straight off of the roof, "Are you insane?!" I shout. I know what he's trying to do, but it'll kill him if he fails.

"Kaiba!" Yami shouts.

Kaiba whips around as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon begins to fuse with Yami to create Master of Dragon Knight. _God, the nerve of my husband… _I raise my DiaDhank in the air, "Divine Queen, come forth!" I shout.

_Hopefully, this'll help them out. _I feel my own energy drop dramatically, but it doesn't matter at this point. Master of Dragon Knight launches its attack toward Zorc, while Divine Queen fires her own attack. The two attacks combine against Zorc, "What arrogance!" Zorc shouts.

The attack hits Zorc and creates an extremely large blue dome to cover the city. I watch as Divine Queen and Master of Dragon Knight gets destroyed by the explosion and I try to fight back the blood that threatens to exit my body. Even though my body is extremely weak, I jump off of the roof as the explosion begins to die down. Somehow, I manage to land on my feet, but end up coughing up blood from the impact.

I slowly make my way toward Yami, who is lying on the ground as the explosion dissipates. _Did the attack work? _I'm now a matter of feet behind Yami and the smoke from everything begins to disappear. The silhouette of Zorc can be seen in the distance and a giant crater lies between us. "Yami!" I shout.

Yami gets onto his knees and turns around, "Ari! Get away from here!" he shouts back.

I now stand next to him and crouch down, even though I'm not sure if I'll be able to get back up. I shake my head, "No, I'll stay here until the end."

He closes his eyes and then slightly nods. He opens them once again as we look up toward Zorc, "When the world was finally covered in darkness… a light shone." He says, "Light and Darkness. In the end, Darkness always wins over Light. This is the universal truth of the world. But some foolish humans, frightened by the Darkness, brandished this light their calling 'Hope'. But they disregarded how feeble and powerless that torch was. And this light, Pharaoh, is you. With your Queen just adding more light into the equation, but your miniscule souls will never be able to defeat me!"

"Zorc, even if my body is destroyed, someone will inherit the light of my soul." Yami says, "And this light, and our legacy, won't disappear until you're defeated!"

"If that's the case, then have it your way!"

I close my eyes, for nothing can be done. We don't have the energy and even with such a guiding light, our hope is failing. Zorc fires his attack, but something blocks it from hitting. I look up to see someone blocking the attack, "Hassan!" Yami says.

The mask covering his face begins to crack and reveals his true face, "S-Shadi?" I say.

"Pharaoh, you can't give up now!" Shadi says, "The glimmer of hope you believe in is heading this way!"

"The glimmer of hope…" Yami says.

The attack ceases as Shadi's body disappears into thin air. _Another dead at the hands of Zorc… this must end now!_

**I feel pathetic now. I gave in and ended up watching about ten minutes of the English version because… I don't even know why. Shame. But I only watched it, I never used any dialogue from it, so that counts for something. Japanese version is still far better.**


	31. Name of the Pharaoh

~Ari~

"The light of hope… Yes, we can't give up just yet." Yami says.

"For those who have fallen were counting on us. Even those still living… hope we reign victorious." I finish.

"Fools." Zorc says, "Don't you get it? The thing that spreads out and gives me infinite power are none other than you, the humans." _What? _"To recognize his own existence within the light, we have to look at the darkness we're projecting, our own shadows! By losing the darkness, humans throw away their own existence. They keep repeating over and over their destruction! That's their instinct, something which lead them since ancient times!"

"Shut up…" Yami says.

"So, with my power, I'll create a world of darkness! And I'll show to these pathetic humans an eternal hell!"

"Shut up!" Yami begins to fall forward and lose consciousness, but I manage to prop him up, much to my own weakness.

Zorc laughs, "Both of you, regret your sins and fall into the eternal darkness."

"We… won't give up." I say, "We won't allow ourselves to fall into your claws."

Zorc begins to charge an attack within his palm that represents the very color of blood. We don't have the strength to get out of the way, and even if we could, there is nothing we could do. _Yugi… Sabrina… we need you here. _Zorc's gaze glances upward for a moment, so I follow his gaze to see five golden figures flying toward us. The corner of my lips forms into a smile, "Thanks guys." I say.

~Sabrina~

"Hey, they're down there!" I shout to the others.

Zorc (which I assume is the demon standing there) is a little different than I imagined him, but not in a good way. He turns toward us with an attack charging in his hand, "I see! You're here to deliver the real names of the rulers of Egypt!" he says, "But I won't let you!"

He fires his attack straight at us, but we manage to get out of the way at the last second. "Anyone got a plan?" Yugi asks.

There's a rumbling coming from behind us, so we turn around to see that same death army heading our way. "Those guys?!" Joey says, "They're really persistent."

"Alright guys, new plan!" Yugi says. A Duel Disk appears on his arm, "Let's duel! Pharaoh, it's time to use the deck we built together! Prepare yourself, Zorc! Come forth, Dark Magician!"

The Dark Magician appears, but has a different face, "Inhabitants from another world, I thank you for giving me life once again!" he says.

I imagine myself holding a Duel Disk, so one appears on my arm, "Time to use our deck too, Ari!" I say as I draw a card, "Come out, Divine Queen!"

"You guys ain't goin' in alone!" Joey says, "Go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Me too!" Tristan says, "I play Super Roboyarou!"

"And I'll summon Fire Sorcerer!" Tea says.

We turn toward the army to see them changing form into a Duel Monster-like undead army. "So that's their true form?" Tristan says.

The army begins to fly toward us with their spears firmly in their grip, "Fight back, Dark Magician!" Yugi says.

"Go, Divine Queen!" I say.

"Red-Eyes!"

"Fire Sorcerer!"

"Super Roboyarou!"

We blow up the army, but they all just return. _Dang, not this again. _"Again!" we shout. We attack again, but they just return once again.

"Master!"

We turn around to see a Duel Monster flying our way, "Dark Magician Girl?" I say.

I get confused for a moment, but then remember that one girl that helped us find the Pharaoh. I look down at the palace to see Mana in a praying position along the roof. _I guess she really is worthy to be Dark Magician Girl. _"Friends of the Pharaoh and Queen, let us handle this!" Dark Magician Girl says.

~Ari~

I can feel my mind losing grip on reality. Just through watching this, my mind has tried drifting out of consciousness, but I struggle to stay strong. Yami has already fallen unconscious, so I feel it to myself to stay awake and protect him. My eyes glance upward to see Sabrina and the others flying down toward us and eventually land, "Are you guys alright?" Yugi asks.

"We're alive, if that counts." I say.

"Pharaoh? Can you stand?"

Yami's eyes twitch and looks at everyone, "You're… all here." He says weakly.

Joey grabs Yami and rests his arm around his shoulder. Sabrina helps me up and does the same to me. I glance up at Zorc who is charging up another attack in his hand. I open my mouth to say something, but then Mahad and Dark Magician Girl blast an attack against Zorc, which manages to distract him, "Don't underestimate me, foolish magicians!" Zorc shouts firing an attack toward them. They dodge the attack, but I'm not sure how much longer.

Yami lifts his head slightly, "D-did you find our names?" he asks.

"Well…" Yugi starts. I glance up at Sabrina to see the same disappointed look on her face as Yugi has.

Zorc now begins to laugh loudly, "I see." He says, "You don't know how to tell them their real names."

"What..?" I say.

"And that is because you were unable to read the hieroglyphics that make up such names!"

"Is… this true?" Yami asks.

"We're sorry." Sabrina says, "We memorized every sign to both of your names, but we don't know how to say them…"

"Forgive us…" Yugi says.

"Then we'll have ta defeat Zorc ourselves." Joey says, "Go, Red-Eyes!"

Super Roboyarou attacks Zorc as well, but is the first to be destroyed. Even using a Duel Disk, they feel pain like we do with DiaDhanks in this world. "Bunch of fools!" Zorc says charging an attack, "Die!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon goes next, causing Joey to drop Yami and leave him back to his knees again, while Fire Sorcerer goes down next. Divine Queen, Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl try a last ditch effort attack against Zorc, but it fails, "It doesn't matter how many times you try, you'll never defeat me!" Zorc shouts, "Now burn to dust!"

Zorc surrounds the three of them in flames, causing their destruction. Sabrina loses grip on my arm and I fall onto my knees as she tries to recover. Zorc chuckles, "What a pity! At least you'll all die with your companions and friends! You better give up!"

"We'll never give up!" Yugi shouts, "We'll find a way to tell the Pharaoh and Queen their names!"

Yami raises his head to look at Yugi, and I see the cartouche fall from under his cape so it hangs in the open. "I've got an idea." Sabrina says, "Maybe if we focus on the Pharaoh's name, then we can carve it on the cartouche."

"I see!" Yugi says, "Whatever we think of here becomes reality! Everyone think of the symbols of the Pharaoh and Queen's names!"

Everyone puts their hand over Yami and I and closes their eyes. I glance at the cartouche for a moment to see its emitting a silver light, "It's almost finished." Yami says, "Have courage!"

I feel my own mind opening up to everything, but it's still a blur. Zorc goes to fire another attack at us, but before it hits, the Ring of Defense appears. I turn my head to see Kaiba standing once again and back in the game. "Don't interfere!" Zorc shouts. He fires an underground attack, which makes everyone step back as the dust surrounds us.

I try to get to my feet, which this time I'm able to. I look to my right and through the dust I can see the outline of Yami's body, who is also able to stand. As the dust begins to clear, I can see that the cartouche is finally readable. "Everyone! That's it!" Yami says looking at it. He now looms at Zorc, "The seal of the Name of the Pharaoh is now broken! My name is… Atem!"

I feel like a breath of wind has entered my mind. The spell put around it begins to crack and break as my memories flood back to where they belong. The information I desired for so long is now mine once again, "Yes, the seals of the Gods have been broken!" I say, "I am… Zaria!"

"And thanks to the gathering of our friends, the Gods will now come back to life!" Atem says.

Red, blue, and yellow lights come from Yugi's Duel Disk and shoot toward the statues of the Egyptian Gods. Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and the Winged Dragon of Ra now rise up from their shells in triumph. "It doesn't matter how many times you try, that won't change anything!" Zorc says, "The Egyptian Gods are not powerful enough to compete against me!"

"And now, in the name of the Pharaoh, I fuse the three Gods!" Atem says.

The three Egyptian Gods begin to glow and create a blinding white light and illuminates the kingdom once again in sunlight. It's like new life has come back to Egypt. Various beams of light come together from around the area to a certain point that lies behind Zorc, which causes him to shield himself from such a light. "The Creator of Light, Horakhty!" Atem says.

"Horakhty…" Zorc repeats in shock.

In the place of the Gods comes a golden goddess that's just the very image of pure light. "Disappear, darkness!"

Horakhty holds an orb of light into its hands and just the very sight of the light makes Zorc's body begin to crack. The army blows to bits and Zorc now turns to us, "DARN YOU!" he shouts. He reaches his hand toward us, but it cracks before he can touch us. His body now completely cracks to bits in a white explosion. _Finally, the light has returned and the darkness is lifted…_

"We defeated Zorc!" Joey says.

"I knew the Pharaoh and Queen would defeat him!" Yugi says.

"Yeah!" Sabrina says, "Thanks to Ari and Ya- Oops… Forgot those aren't your names."

"Right, its Atem and Zaria now."

"You can call us as you choose." Atem says.

"Atem…"

We turn up toward Horakhty, "5000 years ago, you weren't able to defeat Zorc with your strength alone! At that time, you chose to seal yourself with Zorc, and Zaria soon followed. But, this time, when Zorc had resurrected again, you had friends to save you, comrades to support you. Only in that way, was Zorc defeated. The strength of one is never enough… when the strength of all is gathered, everything becomes possible."

Horakhty's body starts to dissipate and now nothing but the sun stands before us. It's strange to have my own identity now. For so long, I've had memories that I shared with Sabrina, but now I have my own set of memories. Everything of my past is clear to me now. Through my life, I possessed powers beyond my control, which was the spirit of Divine Queen protecting me. I was brought to the palace and given the Millennium Pendant and became a Priestess. Shortly after, I agreed to marry Atem and I gave birth to our daughter, whom we named Layla.

"I want to thank you guys." I say, "Without you, this world probably wouldn't even exist."

"Yes, if you hadn't found my name, all would be lost." Atem says, "We're in your debt now."

"Man, don't get too sappy." Joey says.

"Yeah, we're just your friends, after all." Tristan says.

"Yes, even if your names are found, nothing has changed between us." Yugi says.

Atem and I nod. Atem's gaze then goes to behind the gang, "Kaiba!" he says.

The gang turns around and notices him, "Never imagined that you'd come here." Tristan says.

"Yep, and ya can't say dis is magic either!" Joey says, "Come on, there are two Yugi's and two Sabrina's. Surprised?"

Kaiba shrugs, "Nothing surprises me anymore." He says.

"Man, for someone who's angry all the time, you take these things pretty well."

"Don't try and be the one who understands it all, you underdog."

~.~.~

Atem and I stand on the balcony overlooking the city. The citizens are starting to rebuild already and seem to be decent progress. Seto (who survived the battle) stands next to us also. "The Darkness has disappeared… but… the cost for that has been huge." Atem says, "And, some irreplaceable lives have been lost. Now all that remains for the living is to carry that light in us and build the future. Seto."

"Yes?" he asks.

"I need to ask you a favor. Succeed my reign and become the new Pharaoh."

"W-what did you just say..?"

"Become the new Pharaoh."

"What are you saying?! Why have we risked our lives so?!"

"We won't live much longer in this world." I say. _There's no point to be here anymore. Atem and I need to work on another task. _I gaze over to see the gang waiting below the balcony.

"Yes, we don't have much time left. We'll be leaving soon." Atem says. Our bodies begin to turn into a spirit-like form.

"Pharaoh… Queen… your bodies." Seto says.

"Seto, when you were possessed by the Great Dark Priest, until the end, you didn't lose the light of your soul. You magnified light over darkness."

"The light of my soul…"

"I'm giving you the Millennium Puzzle, to prove you are the new Pharaoh. You are the new Pharaoh with the duty of rebuilding this country."

I remove the Pendant from around my neck, "Take the Pendant also. I trust you'll be capable of the task, Seto. I also trust that our daughter be raised properly and given her birthright when the time is right."

"Pharaoh… Queen…" Seto stutters taking the Items.

Atem and my body are now both translucent and we turn to face the others. We hop off of the balcony and approach the gang, "You guys ready?" Yugi asks.

"Yes." Atem says.

"Alright! Back to the real world!" Joey says.

We turn to face the golden pyramid floating in the sky. I slip my hand into Atem's, which he gratefully grasps. All of us fly off toward the pyramid ready to face the next challenge.

**Yay, I got this one done. And I know its Zaria's name too with the title, but hey, Atem started the spell. I pretty much saved everyone the trouble of reading the prequel to this series by just summing it up in one paragraph, so you're welcome. Also, you guys have no idea how many times I ended up writing 'Yami' instead of 'Atem'(I'm still working on fixing those). PS Horakhty is awesome.**


	32. Final Trial

~Sabrina~

I open my eyes and roll over onto my stomach. I glance around to see that we're back in the chamber where the Tablet of Lost Memories was. The gang and I get to our feet and look toward the Tablet. "This is… the tablet of memory." Tea says, "We've gone back to the real world."

The gang turns around and looks at Yugi and I, "Where's Atem and Zaria?" Tea asks.

"Yeah, did they come back wit us?" Joey says.

I can still sense both of them, but I guess I'll let them do the talking.

~Zaria~

"We're here." I say.

"Yeah, great!" Joey says.

"Thank you once again." Atem says, "If you don't come, maybe I can't win this dark game."

"Why'd ya say that? We'll be together forever."

"Yeah, you're both important parts of our lives." Tristan says.

"You were possessed by Bakura."

"Please stop mentioning that."

For over 5000 years, Atem and I always had the Priests to serve us. They didn't think of us as their friends, but merely people to protect, but they were friends to us. It's just nice to have other people that think of you as friends also. "Yugi!"

We glance toward Kaiba who throws something at Atem, which he catches. I lean toward Atem to see him holding the Millennium Eye. "You might need that." Kaiba says. He starts walking toward the exit and makes his way past us.

"Where did you get this?" I ask.

Kaiba just keeps walking and doesn't look back, "Kaiba, wait." Atem says.

"Explain it." Joey says. Kaiba keeps walking. Joey now goes to run in front of Kaiba, but stops.

Both of them look up at the staircase, so we follow their gazes to see a familiar figure stumbling down the stairs. "Bakura…" Atem says as we approach the stairs.

Bakura steps down on the final step, "Everyone… where is this?" he asks.

"Where?" Joey says, "Ya don't remember?"

"By the way… I seemed to be chasing something and then…" Bakura falls forward and Joey catches his body. "I'm hungry." He mumbles before he faints.

"Let's move him out." Tristan says grabbing one of Bakura's arms.

Joey glances toward Bakura and then grabs the Millennium Ring from around his neck, "You'd better take dis." He says giving it to Atem.

"Okay." He says.

So, the evil is truly gone then. The Millennium Ring seemed to start this whole thing and I'm just glad it's not possessed anymore. Bakura was the main victim to all of this too. Joey and Tristan begin to carry Bakura up the stairs, while Tea helps them. I turn around and notice the Millennium Key and Scale lying on the ground. I walk up to them and grab both of them, "Shadi…" I say.

Atem notices me and now stands next to me, "Another soul that has vanished." He says. I nod and then glance up at the Tablet and I can finally read what's on it. "So, Seto took the job of Pharaoh well. He guarded Egypt with his life and carved everything on this tablet, and kept it."

"He also noted that his successor was Layla as Queen." I say, "I miss her. I want to see her again soon."

Atem turns toward me and kisses me softly, "We shall soon enough."

The two of us exit the chamber to find the rest of the gang waiting, along with the Ishtar's. "Pharaoh, Queen, have you regained your memories?" Ishizu asks.

"Yes." Atem says.

"So our mission… will be accomplished." Marik says.

"Yes, all the ancient relics are in place." Ishizu says, "Except…"

"If no one can reach it, I can seal it myself." Atem says.

"Seal?" Tea repeats.

"That is our last mission." I say.

"I know. But that means you'll have to return to the dead."

"Your Majesties." Ishizu says, "Inside the temple we guarded, there's the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead."

"_The_ Tablet of the Realm of the Dead?" Atem says.

Ishizu nods, "The script says… to open the door, the eight ancient relics have to be put on the Tablet. And use the names of the Pharaoh and Queen as the last key. Now all the conditions are met. Have either of you changed your minds?"

I quickly glance toward Atem, even though I'm sure of his answer, "No." I say.

"We'll show you to the underworld."

~Sabrina~

After a long car ride, we make it to a pier where a boat is waiting for us. The pier-setting much reminds me of when the Ishtar's left during the end of Battle City and almost looks like the same boat, only slightly larger. "We're not goin' in a plane?" Joey complains.

"We can only take a ferry." Ishizu says.

"What's the problem?" Tristan says to Joey, "Isn't it kind of enjoyment?"

"How can ya enjoy it so much?" Joey says. Tristan nudges toward Yugi and I, so I pretend like I wasn't listening. "Ya don't have ta rush either."

Ishizu takes a step forward, "The Ancient Egyptians believed that boats were the transportation that brought authority figures to the world of the dead." She says, "They believed this world was located near the sunset. The underworld temple was there. Like now… we take a ferry. Maybe there's a special meaning."

"Hey, Yugi! Sabrina! Over here!"

We turn toward the ferry to see Grandpa, Duke, and Mokuba standing there. We run up to them, but Mokuba runs past us and hugs Kaiba. "We've been waiting for you for ages." Duke says.

"But, why are you here?" I say. The whole question sounds rather offensive, but they didn't seem to take it that way.

"Since you set out, I felt like going to Egypt." Grandpa says, "I thought I had to come."

"And after I came back, I went to see you." Duke says, "And Grandpa said you were in Egypt, so I came with him. When we arrived at the airport, Mokuba was there too."

I turn toward Kaiba and Mokuba, who has finally released himself from Kaiba's neck and continues to smile. "Duke, I'm not buyin' your story." Joey says.

"What are you talking about?" Duke says, "This is a big event to Yugi and Sabrina, you could've told me about it."

"Sorry." Yugi says.

"I wanted to tell everyone, but it was so accidental."

"Everyone?" I say.

"I mean all those who know you guys. After that, I was in touch with some people. Even if they were afar, I'm sure they were worried about you guys. "

~.~.~

We stand against the railing of the ferry watching the orange sunset swirl in the sky. With the breeze against us, it reminds me so much of Duelist Kingdom. "This is beautiful, but I feel lonesome." Yugi breaks the silence.

We nod and I continue staring down at the water. "Err, why are you even comin' anyway?" Joey turns to Kaiba, who aloofly leans against the wall with Mokuba standing next to him.

"What's the problem?" Mokuba asks, "Right, bro?"

Kaiba's eyes narrow, but he remains silent. Ishizu takes a step forward, "As one of those influenced by Fate, he should penetrate this event with his eyes." She says.

"Guys, I must tell you one more thing." Marik says, "There's something more about the script. That's the combat ceremony."

"Combat ceremony?" Yugi questions.

"I hope the Pharaoh and Queen can listen to this." At Marik's words, Atem and Zaria appear next to Yugi and I, "It says so, their souls cannot go with a sword, for they cannot rest. In this world, sword is a kind of 'combat weapon'. For the duelists, their sword is cards."

"So someone has to duel them, right?" I say.

"If only one of them wishes to fight, then the scriptures allow it."

_"I choose not to fight." Zaria says, "I'm not sure how well I'll be able to duel when such lines of fate are at stakes. I know it sounds weak, but I'm not sure if I'll be at my top game."_

I nod. "Guys, Zaria isn't going to duel. Atem is going to have to duel for the both of them."

"But who can defeat him?" Tea asks, "No one is really capable."

We stare at the sky and watch the sun glide underneath the water, leaving us under the stars. Everyone is again silent. "This really brings back memories." Joey says, "Everyone remember Duelist Kingdom?"

"How could we forget?" Yugi says.

"Yugi, do you wanna know the greatest request of my life?" Yugi turns toward him, "Drop the Millennium Puzzle into this river."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm lyin'. It's a joke. But I've made up my mind, I'll duel against him!"

"Step down." Kaiba's voice says. He walks out toward us with Mokuba following him, "If this is the last combat, I'll repay you all that I owe. I will be your opponent!"

"Hey, I challenged first!" Joey says running in front of him.

Kaiba merely lifts a hand and swats Joey away from him, "I do this to fight the Pharaoh. It's time for payback on the defeats I've faced. I will be the winner."

"Kaiba, that's right. You've been fighting him for so long…"

"So it's settled."

"I'm sorry. I have to fight him. I won't let him win."

My eyes widen. I guess I should've seen this coming; Yugi has been trying so hard to keep up with Atem and now's his one chance. The corners of my lips form into a smile, "I see." I say, "I guess it's only fitting."

Kaiba's hand shoots toward Yugi and grabs Yugi's shirt collar and lifts him into the air with his other hand in a fist. "You can't win!" Kaiba shouts, "You will not strip me of my pride again, Yugi!"

"This is what I need to do." Yugi says.

Kaiba glares at him, but releases Yugi from his grip, "Mokuba." Mokuba comes forward holding Kaiba's briefcase and opens it to reveal all of Kaiba's Duel Monsters cards, "Use these if you want to win. I don't allow you to play any tricks. You mind as well get yourself a deck worthy of the challenge."

"Thank you… but I don't need them. I have my own cards. I'll make my own deck, and it will be worthy of the challenge."

Kaiba grunts, "As you wish."

He and Mokuba walk away, leaving us to watch them vanish through the doorway.

~.~.~

I sit in Yugi's room and watch him look through his cards. He stares from card to card and puts them into piles and then spreads them across the table. "So, do you think you're ready to face Atem?" I ask.

"Yeah," Yugi says, "I don't plan on him winning, but if it comes to that…"

"Has he said anything?"

"No, he's hiding in my mind until I decide on a deck to use."

"Oh, Zaria's probably hiding also. I… don't want to see them leave. Life will seem so dull."

Yugi nods as he adds a couple more cards to his deck. "I guess ever since the Pendant and Puzzle were solved, that's when we knew we couldn't keep them here. Somewhere inside me told me that their powers wouldn't last forever. It was nothing like it used to be before them, but they've made us stronger."

I'll never forget those years. We turned solving our Items into a competition, but since I moved to America, we had to cancel that. Ever since I returned and became friends with Yugi's friends, life has gotten better. But Zaria and Atem have done so much for us. They've taught us things made coached us through all this time. This duel might be the only way to return the favor…

"Alright, it's done." Yugi says putting his deck into the box the Puzzle once rested in.

_"Are you ready?" Atem says. Zaria appears next to us also._

_"Before I'm ready, you'll be waiting for me." Yugi says._

_"Yes, I cannot look at the cards of my rival. Thank you for accepting this challenge."_

_"I'll do my best. I guess you should make a deck now. But I warn you, I know your weaknesses."_

~Zaria~

"I'm sorry for not dueling with you." I say.

"Its fine, I understand if you don't want to." Atem smiles. He begins to search through the remaining cards.

"It's just… I knew that if I did duel, it would come down to Yugi and Sabrina fighting us. I don't want to fight against them in this way…"

"I know. I've faced almost every kind of enemy out there, but this will be the toughest. This is more than just the trial of our fate, but theirs as well. All of my heart and will shall go into this deck."

I watch through endless hours as Atem chooses his cards. I do not say anything or give suggestions (not that he asked) for this is his deck, and I have no right to influence it. As the sun creeps in the sky, Atem sighs telling me he's finally done. "You ready?" I ask.

"Yes." He says.

We stand up and Atem grabs the bag containing the Items, along with his Duel Disk and deck. He grabs my hand as we walk down the hallway to the exit of the ferry. I look below to see everyone waiting there for us, "You guys are so slow." Duke says.

"Ya ready for this?" Joey asks.

"More than we ever will." Atem says.

**I felt like keeping it strictly between Yugi and Atem, but made sure Zaria didn't really sound 'weak'. I still caught myself writing 'Yami' a few times, so I'm continuing to look through this and make sure it doesn't. Tea is annoying me with her 'I heart Atem' get-up, anyone else want to beat her to a pulp? Also, for the heads-ups, there will probably be about 3 more chapters left, spoiler.**


	33. Defeat the Gods

~Sabrina~

We follow Ishizu through a canyon to the spot Yugi and Atem are supposed to duel at. We eventually come to a clearing and find an underground staircase, "Here we are." Ishizu says.

She leads us down the dark staircase. The stairs wind down in a spiral shape and the walls are well packed together. We keep walking deeper underground, until Tea stops walking. I turn around to face her, "What is it, Tea?" I ask

"Why the hurry?" she says, "Can't we have these times together longer? At least for today…"

"What are you talking about?" Tristan says, "We don't want to leave the Pharaoh and Queen either."

"Tea…" Ishizu steps forward, "The combat ritual for sending the Pharaoh and Queen back, needs the players to fight in their prime energy. That's this moment, they kill the demons. If we miss this chance, their souls will lie in this time forever and I'm sure that's not what they want. Is that okay?"

"We all feel bad too." Yugi says, "But this combat is indispensible. They've made their choice and the best we can do is live up to their wishes."

Tea nods, "I'm sorry. You're right."

"We all feel that same way." I say, "But this is the right time to do this. But Tea, you're the one who actually expressed the feelings we all had. So, thanks for relieving that."

She nods, along with everyone else. "Now that I'm here, there's no possibility that this fight will be cancelled or postponed." Kaiba says, "So, let's get on with it."

"Hey, we didn't invite ya!" Joey shouts.

Kaiba blows it off and we keep walking down the stairs. Ishizu finally leads us to the end where a dark chamber lies. The walls are dark, but the back one has hieroglyphics written along it, with the Eye of Wdjat at the center. Torches line the chamber and the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead lies near the back wall. _"This place looks so familiar…" Zaria tells me._

Ishizu turns toward us, "Yugi, Sabrina…"

We nod and walk up to the altar where the Tablet lies. Yugi sets his bag down on the ground and begins to unzip it, revealing the remaining six Millennium Items. We turn toward Ishizu, who gets onto her knees in a sort of ritual pose, "Put the eight ancient Items into the underworld stone and reveal the Majesties' names." She says, "Thus open the door to the underworld and greet their souls with open arms. But the Eye of Wdjat will see through the truth. It will stare at the person who has taken the Pharaoh's sword and killed him." Ishizu stands and looks at us, "If you take this combat ritual, just place the eight Items into the Tablet."

We nod and step closer to the Tablet as Ishizu goes and stands by the others. The two of us carefully place each Item into their desired slots. First the Eye, then the Key, Scale, Rod, Necklace, and finally the Ring. Out of everyone who owned these Items, we owe our thanks. Now the Puzzle and Pendant remain. All of these will be the beginning of the end as soon as we place them in. I remove the Pendant from around my neck, take the chain off of it, and place it into its slot, which lies between the Puzzle slot and the Ring. Yugi now removes the Puzzle, and places it within the desired spot.

All of the Items begin to glow and a blast of wind comes from the Tablet as the Eye of Wdjat begins to shine. I feel like my body is about to split in two, but the realization of why hits me.

~Zaria~

I glance next to me to see Sabrina in her own body. I nod toward her as she does the same. I then look toward Atem and smile, which he returns. Sabrina and I step down from the front part of the altar, but stand on the lower level of it. Atem and Yugi exchange glances and then go to their opposite sides of the altar to begin the duel. I'm not sure who to root for; each loss has a totally different outcome, but secretly, I want Yugi to win. For now, fate will only decide it.

Atem and Yugi ready their Duel Disks, both looking extremely confident. "Duel!" they say.

"I go first." Atem says, "I discard one card to summon the Tricky in attack mode. I'll now set a card face-down. Your move."

"My turn." Yugi says, "I play Swords of Revealing Light! Now I play Green Gadget in attack mode! And since it was summoned to the field, it allows me to add my Red Gadget from my deck to my hand!"

"My move, so I activate Rebellion! Now Green Gadget is forced to attack you directly!"

"I knew you'd do that. Activate Stronghold the Moving Fortress! It turns into a monster card and is played in defense mode to intercept your attack."

Yugi is down to 3400 Life Points. These are certainly new cards of Yugi's. Or perhaps they were his original cards before Atem came along and they created a deck together. "My turn!" Yugi says, "I activate Ties of the Brethren to reduce my Life Points to 2400 in order to summon Red Gadget from my hand and Yellow Gadget from my deck in defense mode! And now that all three Gadgets are on my field, Stronghold gets 3000 attack points! Now attack the Tricky!"

"I play Bounce Spell! Now I can duplicate the effect of Swords of Revealing Light and transfer it to your side of the field as well."

So Atem is fighting this battle seriously. Yugi seems to be the same, but I notice his body trembling. They both fight with their heart and soul, but Atem mentally has the better strength. "I switch Green Gadget to defense mode and end my turn."

"My move. By sending the Tricky to the Graveyard, I can play a magic card called Tricky's Spell 4! Now it'll create 4 Tricky Tokens each in defense mode! Now let me show you my real strength! I sacrifice three of my tokens to summon… Obelisk the Tormentor!" I knew he'd summon one of the Gods, "Obelisk, attack his Stronghold! I'll end by placing one card face-down."

Yugi is dropped to 1400 Life Points. Yugi stands still for a moment and almost looks injured. But he stands up straight and his innocent smile is across his face. _Is he happy he's losing? Is he doing that on purpose so we'll stay? No, he's not that type of duelist. _I glance toward Sabrina, "He's having the time of his life." She says, "He's too excited to fight Atem that he doesn't care about the outcome."

~Sabrina~

Zaria looks at me and then back toward Atem and Yugi. Of course Yugi feels this way. He felt behind Atem all this time and now's his time to show Atem the strength he really has. "My turn!" Yugi says, "I'll play three cards face-down! And I'll finish by summoning my Silent Swordsman LV0 in attack mode!"

_Will one of his face-downs counter an attack from Obelisk? _It must be so; he wouldn't play such a foolish move if he didn't have a plan. "My move!" Atem says, "I set one card face-down and play Card of Sanctity! I'm using all of my power. Can you catch up? Obelisk, attack the Silent Swordsman!"

"Reveal Ground Erosion and Turn Jump! Now we move past three turns! So Swords of Revealing Light is gone and my Silent Swordsman gets upgraded!"

"The attack power isn't enough. Obelisk will still overpower it!"

"But I use my Ground Erosion card to sacrifice it in order to negate the effects of Obelisk and decrease its attack down to 2500!"

"I have launched a trap as well. Reveal Summoning Clock! When my opponent activates a magic or trap card, it activates. I sacrifice this card and my Tricky Token to summon Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and now that they're both on the field, I can summon Jack's Knight! Finally I call upon Slifer the Sky Dragon! And since I'm holding three cards, it has 3000 attack points."

"Activate Ambush Shield! Now I tribute Red Gadget to increase Silent Swordsman's attack to 4000!"

"You're good. King's Knight, attack Yellow Gadget, and Queen's Knight attack the Green Gadget! I assume you know what happens now. I sacrifice Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight to summon…!"

~Zaria~

No way. Another God? I'm not too surprised that he has all three in his deck but to bring them out this quickly is just… unreal. Atem begins to speak the chant aloud on the card, but mumbles slightly so it's difficult to hear, "…Come forth, Winged Dragon of Ra!" he says, "This is the best of me, Yugi! Prepare yourself!"

"I'm ready for anything!" Yugi says.

"Good, because I activate Pot of Greed! From here, I'll end my turn."

I turn to see everyone discussing things among themselves. What Kaiba says makes me turn around to look at them though, "Only a true duelist can call out all three Egyptian Gods." He says, "This duel will defiantly remain in history. But the result is clear."

Kaiba begins to walk toward the exit, "Kaiba, wait." Sabrina says, "The duel isn't over yet."

"Yeah, it's still up in da air!" Joey says.

Kaiba stops, but doesn't turn around, "You can't control any God. Let me ask you. Do you know how to beat three Gods on the field? You'll never know, because there is no such thing."

"No! There's gotta be some way!" Joey says, "Right Marik? You know Ra's weakness right?"

Marik glances back at the Gods, "I can handle Ra at once." He says, "But now there are three Gods."

"This could be the destiny." Ishizu says, "Through 5000 years, the Pharaoh's weapon has been sharpened, but nothing can stand it. Since no one can stand his attack, the combat ritual won't take effect."

~Sabrina~

_Could it be possible? Will the power of the Gods be so powerful that Atem and Zaria won't go to the underworld? _"Let's go, Mokuba." Kaiba says.

"Kaiba!" Joey shouts.

Kaiba stops walking for a moment, "Atem, your soul won't be leaving us for the underworld, sooner or later, we'll settle our score." He keeps walking once again, but stops as someone speaks up again.

"Wait Kaiba." Yugi says, "I hope you can stay until the end."

"Yugi, I don't have time to see you lose."

"No, you're wrong. I wish you can witness the Pharaoh and Queen return to the underworld."

_Is he that determined? Confident? _"Yugi!" Kaiba now spins around, "Are you…?"

"Kaiba reminded me, and now I realize this. I must beat the Egyptian Gods. I must win this duel!"

"Yugi…" I say.

"I'm going to beat the Egyptian Gods."

"Yes, that's the spirit." Atem says.

"Nonsense." Kaiba says, "Yugi, you can't be serious! You want to beat them now?" Yugi nods, "Alright, now that you're so determined, I'll stay until the end."

"My turn!" Yugi says. I glance to his hand to see it shaking as he goes to draw a card. He's afraid of the Gods, of course. Having experienced one of them first hand, I know that feel.

"Yugi, you've already lost if you give up faith in your deck." Atem says, "If you're a real player, as you stand before me, you should have been thinking… about methods to beat me. That's the nature of a true player. As we fill our decks, we both have the thought of winning over the other."

"That's right… I've been thinking of how you work your strategies and face all of your challenges."

"I've thought of the same thing. You're a tender and strong-willed person. I look forward to seeing those traits as you play your cards."

"This is my true deck. The one that I plan to send you and Zaria back with. And I'm ready to fight with it! Now my Silent Swordsman gets upgraded! Next, I discard Beta, Gamma, and Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my hand in order to summon Valkyrion to the field!"

"And since you summoned a monster, Slifer's ability lets it automatically attack it!"

"I activate Mirage Spell! This allows me to negate your attack and increase my Life Points by the attack points of Valkyrion! I'll finish by setting two cards face-down."

Yugi is up to 3400 Life Points. _What is Yugi planning? All of his monsters are in attack mode and can't compete with the Gods. _"My move!" Atem says, "Now I hold four cards in my hand, so Slifer's attack is 4000! Slifer, attack the Silent Swordsman!"

"Activate trap-!"

"Traps don't work on Gods!" The attack goes through and Yugi is down to 2400, "Now, Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Valkyrion!" Yugi is left to 900 Life Points and has no monsters. _Obelisk still needs to attack. Yugi will lose. _"Take this! Obelisk, attack him directly!"

"You forget I activated my trap; Mirage Ruler! This lets me bring back all of my monsters that were destroyed, and my Life Points are brought back to where they were, but I have to bring them to 2400 due to its effect."

"That was great. I'll end my turn from here."

"Next round… will be the final round." Ishizu says.

"Sister, did you..?" Marik says.

"I'm not seeing the future. I just have this hunch."

"Do you think Yugi will beat the Gods?"

"I don't know. But as I look at Yugi, it suddenly came across me. The Pharaoh has strength beyond imagination, but the container of his supreme soul must be as strong _as_ him. After walking so long with the Pharaoh, Yugi has become stronger beyond imagination as well. Sometimes they call this container 'miracle'."

"My turn!" Yugi says, "Since it's my turn, Silent Swordsman gains a level! Now to use Valkyrion's special ability! This allows me to sacrifice him in order to summon its three original monsters; Beta, Gamma, and Alpha!" _But why would he sacrifice his powerful monster for weaker ones?_

"Since you summoned three monsters, Slifer gets to attack three times!" _Of course, _"Go, Slifer!"

"I've been waiting for this! Activate Magnet Force! This will stop your attacks and redirect them right back at your monsters! And my target is your Egyptian Gods!" Now their attack points are lower, which makes them easier to attack, "Silent Swordsman, attack Obelisk!"

"You're that naïve? Activate Mirror Force! Now every one of your monsters are destroyed! It appears that you couldn't see through my trap card."

Yugi smiles, "No, I near which one it was. Because you activated Mirror Force, my plan to defeat the Egyptian Gods is completed. In this instant, all three Gods will be removed!"

**Alright, I finally got this done. I apologize for the delay, but I've been busy. I'm trying to put the POV switches in moderation and make sure they get enough 'thought time', which hopefully is pretty even. I plan to have the next chapter up soon, and maybe finish the story in the next few days, but we'll see.**


	34. Forever Bonded

~Zaria~

"It's time to put my plan into effect!" Yugi says, "I play Magnet Reverse! This allows me to bring Valkyrion back from my Graveyard in defense mode! Because it was summoned, Slifer is forced to attack it! But since my Magnet Force is still on the field, the attack gets redirected back at one of your monsters! Now that Obelisk has 0 attack points, it gets destroyed!"

Yugi does have an ingenious strategy. But there are two Gods left, so how will he defeat them? "I'm not done!" Yugi says, "I now sacrifice Valkyrion to summon Beta, Alpha, and Gamma from my Graveyard in defense mode! Three more attacks will come from Slifer, and this time, it gets redirected at Ra and Slifer! Both of their attacks are 0, so you know what that means!"

We watch as Slifer and Ra blow to pieces and Atem is now defenseless. It was smart to use Slifer's effect against it and Ra, but how will this duel be played now that all the Gods are gone? "Well done, Yugi." Atem says, "You keep overcoming each wall I put up. That's the sign of a true combatant. But you should know, I haven't used all of my power yet."

Yugi nods, "I'll do my best."

"Alright, my move! First, I activate Polymerization to fuse Gazelle and Berfomet from my hand to summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast! Go Chimera, destroy Alpha the Magnet Warrior! My turn is done."

"It's my move! I sacrifice Beta and Gamma from the field in order to summon Buster Blader! Buster Blader, destroy Chimera!"

Atem is down to 3500 Life Points, "Not bad. But, when Chimera is destroyed, I can summon Berfomet to the field in defense mode. Now I sacrifice Berfomet to summon this… Beast of Gilfer! I also place this face-down and then end my turn."

"My move! I'll also play one card face-down. Now Buster Blader, destroy Beast of Gilfer!"

"When Gilfer is sent to the Graveyard, the monster that destroyed it loses 500 attack points! My turn. Now I'll place one card face-down. Next I activate Awakening from Beyond! This allows me to add one monster card from my Graveyard to my hand, but it allows you to draw two cards. Yugi, I know your plan, but I look farther than you do. And since the monster I revived is the only card in my hand, its effect allows me to summon it straight to the field! Come out, Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

"That's not possible. How did you have Gaia in your Graveyard?"

"I just have it. I had one chance to send it to the Graveyard, and that was the Tricky's effect."

"You mean Gaia was the card you discarded to summon it?"

"You're right. I knew this would happen. The Egyptian Gods have given me an overwhelming advantage, but unfortunately, they were defeated. Truth is, all along, I knew you would defeat the Gods! Now that the Gods are gone, the real game begins! Only when anxiety and courage are put together is when the game really starts. Now Gaia, destroy Buster Blader!"

Yugi is down to 2200 Life Points. "Activate trap; Soul Rope! By paying 1000 of my Life Points, I can summon Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode from my deck!" Yugi is down to 1200 Life Points, "Now it's my turn! I sacrifice Witch of the Black Forest to summon Summoned Skull! And since my Witch was sent to the Graveyard, I can add Marshmallon from my deck to my hand! Summoned Skull, attack Gaia now!"

"Good, you used that card to overturn the situation. But now it's my turn. And if you can create a miracle, then so can I! I know I'll draw Big Shield Gardna." Atem draws and doesn't even look at it as he summons it, "Big Shield Gardna, appear in defense mode!"

_He knew what he would draw? _"Atem is so powerful, but can he really see the future?" I blurt.

"He is not seeing the future." Ishizu says, "I think he is influencing Fate. Even he can lead Fate with his will and belief."

This duel is tougher than we imagined. It's gone out of our imaginations and has transformed into something new. "My move!" Yugi says, "I activate Pot of Greed! And since I drew this card, Watapon comes right to the field in defense mode! Now I sacrifice Watapon in order to summon Curse of Dragon! Summoned Skull, attack Big Shield Gardna!" Yugi is down to 2100 Life Points. I watch as Big Shield Gardna now switches to attack mode since it was attacked. _Yes, that must be his plan. _"Curse of Dragon, destroy Bid Shield Gardna!"

Atem is down to 1400 Life Points. I can see it now. Yugi's victory seems to be in place. If that's how Fate wants it, then there's nothing we can do. Besides, both of them are having the time of their lives up there, why ruin it for them? "My move! I activate the Dark Magic Curtain! Now I can bring my Life Points to 700 in order to summon Dark Magician to the field!" _Mahad, it's nice to see a part of you again, _"Now I activate Book of Secret Arts! This will raise Dark's Magician's attack points. Dark Magician, destroy Summoned Skull!"

Yugi is down to 800 Life Points. "Yugi, this is my last trump card. Only by defeating Dark Magician can you win this duel!" Atem says.

"My move! I play this monster in defense mode and then switch Curse of Dragon into defense mode. Your move."

"Alright, here I come. I play Thousand Knives! If Dark Magician is on my side of the field, then Thousand Knives will be able to destroy one monster, I choose your face-down one! Dark Magician, destroy Curse of Dragon! That ends my turn."

"Alright, I summon Blockman in defense mode and set one card face-down. My turn is done."

"My move! I activate Dark Spear and equip it to my Dark Magician! This allows me to send piercing damage to your Life Points when I attack! Go, Dark Magician!"

"Activate Soul Shield! By reducing my Life Points to 400, I can prevent the attack!"

"Then my turn is finished."

"Alright then! I'll play the magic card Gold Sarcophagus! Now I can pick one card from my deck and seal it inside the Sarcophagus and if you play the same card, then I can negate the effect." That box reminds me so much of the Puzzle box. Perhaps Yugi is trying to end this the way it started. "And now I'll use Blockman's effect; by sacrificing it, I can summon two Block Tokens to the field! Now I'll use my two Tokens and sacrifice them to summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction! Gandora only remains on the field for one turn, so this is my one shot. By reducing my Life Points to 200, I can now obliterate all of your monsters!"

"Activate trap; Dark Illusion! Now my Dark Magician is safe, but you are allowed to draw one card."

"I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Gandora now goes to the Graveyard. "My turn! Dark Magician, attack him directly!"

"Activate Magician's Circle! This card lets us both summon a spellcaster monster with at most 2000 attack points. So I'll choose my Silent Magician!"

"And the card I choose is Dark Magician Girl! Dark Magician, attack the Silent Magician!"

_This could be all over. _"Activate Spell Textbook! I have to discard my entire hand and draw one card. If it's a magic card, I can use its effect immediately. I draw…" Yugi reaches for his deck and pulls a card,"…Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we hold six cards! And since you drew five cards, my Silent Magician gets upgraded by five levels! Now the attack from Dark Magician resumes!"

"I now play Magician's Unite! This will have my two Magicians come together for one attack and turn their power to 3000 for the turn and save a portion of my Life Points!" Atem is dropped to 200 Life Points, "Great job, you defeated my trump card, Yugi. But this isn't over. We're both at 200 Life Points. It's a battle to the finish and it's time to put an end to this. Yugi, now it's my turn to change the situation. Now I play Monster Reborn! I revive… Slifer the Sky Dragon! Since I hold four cards, he has 4000 attack points."

_Maybe I was wrong. Atem could win this. _I glance over to Yugi and notice the Gold Sarcophagus is glowing, "It's time to break the seal of the Gold Sarcophagus! The card sealed inside was… Monster Reborn! The effect is negated. Slifer returns to the dead." _Certainly he means that not only Slifer will return to the dead. Yugi wins. The result is made. _Yugi starts shaking, but then looks up, "Silent Magician, direct attack!"

Atem's Life Points slowly drop to 0. Yugi falls to his knees with tears running down his cheeks. _Fate has made its choice. So be it._

~Sabrina~

I cannot say anything. Tears pour down my cheeks with the might of a river. _I knew this would happen, but… I can't say goodbye yet. _I watch as Zaria runs up to Atem and embraces him. They look happy for their destiny is closing. I walk up onto the altar and stand next to Yugi as he stays on his knees. I don't say anything, but merely kneel down next to him and we sob together.

I glance up and now see Atem and Zaria standing before us, "I've lost." Atem says as he kneels down to Yugi, "Stand up. How can a victor stay at his knees? If I were you, I wouldn't cry."

"I-I am a coward." Yugi sobs, "You're always my goal. I always want to be as powerful as you are."

"You're not a coward. You have the courage… it's the courage of tenderness. That is what I have learned from you."

Zaria grabs my wrist and pulls me to my feet. She's still a few inches taller than me, but not by much. Yugi and Atem get to their feet also. "I'm proud of you." Zaria says, "Both of you. And Yugi, you had the courage to take this challenge, something I lacked. Both of you have taught us many things, but I think today I've learned the most."

"Yes, we are no longer parts of you." Atem says, "You are who you are. There are only one Yugi, and one Sabrina, in the entire world."

The Eye of Wdjat on the wall now starts glowing. _The underworld is waiting. _Zaria grabs Atem's hand and the two of them walk in front of the Eye. "Tell the Eye of Wdjat your names." Ishizu says.

"We are Atem.." Atem says.

"…And Zaria." She finishes.

The Eye glows and the wall begins to split apart and reveal a white light. The two of them step forward to the doorway and slowly walk to it. "Hey!" Joey shouts.

The rest of the gang runs up onto the altar, with Yugi and I stepping forward. "Wait, are ya leaving?" Joey says.

"You don't have to go to the underworld." Tristan says, "Don't go!"

"We understand that you two belong there…" Tea says, "But we'll never see you again! We've been through so much, but now you're leaving us!"

"It doesn't matter." Joey says, "I guess we'll have to remember those times we had with you two. So… just go. No matter what Atem and Zaria, you'll still be known as Yugi and Sabrina to us! Even in the future, we're still gonna be friends!"

Atem and Zaria turn around to face us, "Yes." Atem says.

"Thank you." Zaria adds.

I wipe the tears from my eyes and force a smile onto my lips, "We'll never forget you guys." I say.

"Yeah, safe journey!" Yugi says.

Atem gives a thumbs-up as the two of them cross through the doorway. We watch as their modern clothing turn into their Egyptian attire. Waiting on the other side, are all of their friends. I notice among them is a young blonde girl that reminds me so much of both of them. _Their daughter has waited so long to finally meet her parents…_ They cross over and the doorway begins to close. It takes all of my strength to not run to them and try and stop them again.

A few more tears run down my face. _They're where they belong. _The chamber around us now begins to shake and the walls crack. I look to the Tablet of the Realm of the Dead to see it shatter and the Millennium items fall into a dark pit. "The Items!" Yugi shouts.

"Yugi, Sabrina, come on!" Joey says, "We gotta ditch dis place!"

All of us run to the other side of the chamber and up the stairs. The stairs start to crack under our feet, which only makes us run faster. We finally make it out in the sunlight and watch as the entire thing collapses in rubble. The top of the stairs still remain, but the rest is gone. "Let's greet the souls of our Majesties'." Ishizu says, "The Millennium Items have been obtained and the door to the underworld will not be opened."

"So they're really gone." Yugi says.

"Yeah." I say.

_They're gone physically, but their souls will always be with us. I already miss them, even though they're in my heart. I look forward to a day that we may see them again._

**I'm gonna do an EPILOGUE, don't think it's over. Plus, anyone else cry when they saw Atem leave in the show? I've seen that scene like five times and I've teared up every single time. But I suppose the English version did something right when he left, so there ya go.**


	35. Epilogue

Ten years. Ten long years from that day. They're gone and we're moving on. It was joyful after we escaped that dark chamber where the afterlife rested. But once we returned to Japan, things came different. The first month was pretty lonely and almost depressing, but we managed to get through it. I had to constantly remind myself that Atem and Zaria wouldn't ever want us to be depressed or sad over such a thing. I had to remind myself of how happy they looked and how they expected us to feel. Once the first month slowly pasted, everything got better.

So much has happened in that window of ten years. But I suppose I can share it. A matter of months after Atem and Zaria left, every one of our friends started reappearing. Mai came first and she seemed a lot more confident than the last time we saw her. She claims that she still has nightmares about the Shadow Realm and her Doma experiences, but is learning to ignore them. Throughout the years, she and Joey have had an on-off relationship. Once she'd get close enough to him, she'd always push him away saying she doesn't want to hurt him again, much to his protests. They're still trying to work that out, but they're getting closer.

As for Joey… he doesn't do a whole lot. He's tried to work on a dueling career, but became unsuccessful after a while and gave up. He still duels for fun, of course though. He's gotten a few jobs over the years, but never really stuck with them. He's talked about becoming a cop once or twice, but never put anything into action. Whenever I try to ask him how he earns his money, he usually doesn't answer or gives a weird excuse like 'because I'm lucky'.

Serenity came around right after we arrived back in Japan. Literally. She was actually waiting at the airport for us. Duke and Tristan still vie for her attention surprisingly. I guess they can't move on. I hear she's dated both of them (not at the same time) but can't seem to make up her mind. Sometimes I wonder if Serenity actually has to provide for Joey. Rebecca and Professor Halkins were waiting in Japan when we landed also. Professor Halkins died about two years ago, but Rebecca comes around fairly often and says she's always competing in new Duel Monsters tournaments. Luckily, after a year or so after, she finally got over that crush she had on Yugi.

Tristan is in around the same state as Joey. Had a few jobs, but hasn't found much of a calling. Duke, on the other hand, continues working on Dungeon Dice Monsters. The game has lost quite a bit of popularity, but Duke continues to work hard on it to try and bring some of it back. After high school, Tea decided to move on and become a dancer. She moved to America the first chance she got and is working her way up to Broadway. We rarely see her anymore, but she keeps in touch every now and then.

Grandpa pasted away a matter of years ago. He seemed happy when he died and said he was just glad to share the experience of watching that last duel. A few years back, we actually got in touch with Lucas, Valon, Alister, and Rafael. They seem to be working out their lives and are doing well. They're all in different areas of the world, but they seem to have kept in touch with each other more than anyone else. We told them to come around anytime, but we haven't much seen them since. As for Pegasus, he's still working on Duel Monsters and there's a rumor that he's working on some new types of cards. The only news we get from him is when he's actually _on_ the news.

Kaiba is still increasing his work on his Duel Disks, with Mokuba helping him. We haven't heard too much of them. They don't come around as often. Not that I'm very surprised though. But I'm certain that Kaiba is married now, judging by all the speculation. Zigfried and Leon seem to be doing well too. Schroeder Corp. still isn't nearly as popular as Kaiba Corp, but they still have a positive outlook. Actually, I think their company signed a deal with Pegasus a few years ago.

Bakura is also doing pretty well. He's a lot more open now than he was when the Dark Bakura possessed him. I don't really know what he does, but I think it's along the line of business. Also, the Ishtar's have really kept in touch. They still live in Egypt and remain extremely loyal to the Pharaoh and Queen after all this time. They're not still living in the underground tomb they did as Tombkeepers, but they live around the area.

As for me, well, it's a bit of a long story. A matter of months after the departure of Atem and Zaria, Yugi asked me if I wanted to 'go out' with him. I declined saying it would be awkwardly like incest since I was practically adopted by Grandpa. But Yugi kept reminding me that I was never actually officially adopted and that I was only taken in. I finally agreed to 'go out' with him. The next thing I knew, about four years ago, Yugi asked me to marry him. I didn't have much of an answer for him then. But within time, and a good matter of persistence from him, I finally agreed.

We don't have one of those mushy romantic relationships, but are more like best friends who just happened to get married. Three years ago, I turned out to be pregnant. It was difficult to comprehend at first, but became increasingly more joyful as time progressed. After nine months, I gave birth. To twins actually. One girl and one boy. The girl was born with Yugi's violet eyes and blonde hair (which is like a mix of my blonde shade and Yugi's). I decided to name her Arianna, whom was named after the long-used nickname of my old friend. The boy, who looks exactly like Yugi, except he has blue eyes, we decided to name Darius, which means 'pharaoh' in Egyptian. Yugi fought himself with not naming his son after Atem, but figured his son deserved his own identity. Arianna and Darius are a handful, but keep us happy all the time.

~.~.~

I take a rag and start dusting off the counter. Since Grandpa died, Yugi and I have been in charge of running the Game Shop. I shake out the rag and then start working on the shelves behind me. _Honestly, one day I'll have time to sort through all this stuff. _The rag in my hand glides across the shelf and makes sure not to hit any of the various games and items there. My hand stops once it hits something. I glance up to see gold coming from the back of the shelf.

I grab a small latter and climb up it and start digging through the shelf. Much to my surprise, I find something that Yugi and I forgot about years ago. I hear his footsteps heading down the stairs, so I grab both items and put them behind me. He appears from the stairs, holding a few board games in his arms. Yugi has certainly grown up since high school. He's gotten quite a bit taller (he's a little taller than me) and is a more muscular. But, his face remains the same with his child-like eyes and delicate features. I watch as he places the games onto some of the shelves in the front of the store, "Did you get them to nap?" I ask.

"Yeah, took a while though." He says.

I smile since I could hear my children's resistance coming from upstairs. "Hey, look what I found."

He turns around and looks at me as I hold out the items. It's the old golden Puzzle and Pendant boxes. His eyes widen as he takes the Puzzle box from my hands. He inspects it and opens it up to find it empty. I don't recall how we lost these, but that was years ago. "Where'd you find these?" he asks.

I point on the shelf behind me, "Up there."

He smiles and continues to look over the box. I open up the Pendant box and find a slip of paper inside. I grab it and look at it. It reads: _Never forget._ I smile because I remember writing that shortly after Zaria left and placed it in there. "I miss them." I say.

"Yeah." He traces his fingers along the hieroglyphics on the side of the box, "My wish has lasted after all these years and I'm truly grateful. Atem… thank you."

_The story of a Pharaoh and Queen has come to an end. Its been more than them, it's been about all of those they have touched with their hearts. It's a story that has ended in light. That light won't die no matter what. I look forward to see it live on._

**I just want to thank you guys for reading/reviewing/favoriting or whatever else with this story. Even when I felt like this story was horrible or when I was having a bad day, your guys' reviews could anyways bring a smile to my face and make me work harder. So thanks. I've gone over this speech like 100 times in my head, so I think I'm done. I hope to see you guys in my upcoming fics too!**


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